Saturday, December 24, 2011

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Being Santa Claus

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It's Christmas Eve, but it's also Saturday Night - time for more Genealogy Fun!  Unless you're too busy being Santa Claus, or waiting for Santa Claus.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  Tell us your favorite memory of "being Santa Claus."  Have you ever put on the red suit?  Were you Santa Claus to your children or grandchildren?  Did you bring gifts to people out of the love in your heart?

2)  Tell us in a comment to this blog post, in your own blog post, in a Facebook status or a Google Plus stream post.

Here's mine:

Ho Ho Ho!!!  I've been acting like Santa Claus for 42 years - ever since Linda and I were married. 

The best years were when our daughters were young, from age 2 to about age 10, and they still believed in the wonder and mystery of Santa Claus.  I have fond (?) memories of putting hot wheels, tricycles, bicycles, toy stoves, and the like together on Christmas Eve after they had gone to bed with sugar plums dancing in their heads (well, they were excited).  Some of these sessions lasted until 1 or 2 a.m. out in the cold garage.  And then being awakened early on Christmas morning by scampering feet, excited whispers and then shouts and kids jumping on my bed all excited about what Santa Claus had brought them.  It was always worth it!

I'm enjoying seeing the same thing with my four grandchildren.  My grandkids parents are doing a great job of being Santa Claus.

My latest attempt at "being Santa Claus" happened about two weeks ago.  The phone rang, and my daughter said "Hi Santa.  Lauren has been very naughty, and I want you to talk to her about what she wants for Christmas." 

I practiced a "Ho Ho Ho" and said: "OK, let me speak with Lauren."  My daughter said "Lauren, Santa Claus wants to speak to you."

Lauren came on the phone with a very tentative "Hi Santa."

Santa said:  "Lauren, I want you to have a wonderful Christmas.  Your mommy told me that you have been naughty.  You know that naughty girls don't get nice gifts like a new bicycle for Christmas from Santa, they get lumps of coal in their stockings and that's all.  If you promise mommy and Santa that you'll be a good girl, Santa will be happy to bring you some nice gifts.  Will you promise mommy and Santa to be a good girl?"

A very timid Lauren: "Yes, yes I will promise."

Santa:  "Well, I need to go feed my reindeer and check on the elves and make sure they have your gifts on the list, Please leave the cookies and milk out for me by your tree.  Bye Lauren - Ho Ho Ho."

I didn't even have to disguise my voice (which I couldn't if I tried).  My daughter said that she was so wide-eyed and concerned that she was a different girl for, oh, the next hour or two. 

I love being Santa Claus.  I've been working on my beard and my belly!

2 comments:

Greta Koehl said...

Your grandkids are lucky to have you as Santa! I enjoy being Santa's "co-conspirator." When our girls were little, part of that was making sure that Santa's gifts were arranged in an artful way, and that finding what he had brought was fun - hiding Beany Babies in the Christmas tree and chandelier, putting new stuffed animals in a new wagon so that it looked like they were ready to go for a ride, making sure that there were tasty and delightful small items in Christmas stockings, etc.

Michelle Goodrum said...

I'm with Greta. You have some very lucky grandkids!

Here's my contribution to SNGF. Have an enjoyable Christmas!

http://bit.ly/vvYXJ4