Today, my son, Chris, got to meet someone who's very important to most kids... Santa Claus!
And not just some mall Santa, either... More on that momentarily.
My boy was on his best behavior, and hardly fussed at all, even though we had a little wait in line. When it was his turn, Santa guided him into his lap with care, and proceeded to introduce himself to Chris. Chris was fascinated beyond words! He even said how much he wanted to see Chris come back, and how one day, Chris would tell Santa how he wanted a ten-speed bike, and more. We finished the visit with pictures... And, when Mom stepped into Santa's sleigh (which is an actual, refinished, 18th Century European sleigh!), she found out about one of Santa's rules. Anyone who steps into Santa's sleigh gets a job to do! She was told to put a pair of shoes out on Christmas Eve, and there'd be something special in them in the morning!
Now... why was this Santa so special? Believe it or not -- he's the same one my brothers and I would go see for many years, way back when. This Santa has been called "The Real Santa", and he's not about processing kids through for photo ops or making money... At the end of the visit he hands out Holy Cards... and he takes time to tell stories and sing some songs with the kids. While we were there this time, there was a family there which included some grandparents. (They were actually just in front of us in line.) After the kids visited with Santa, he called up the grandfather, and took a few minutes to talk about Grandpas and read a poem about them! He's been portraying Santa for more than 50 years... You can learn more about him in an article from the Arlington Catholic Herald
And not just some mall Santa, either... More on that momentarily.
My boy was on his best behavior, and hardly fussed at all, even though we had a little wait in line. When it was his turn, Santa guided him into his lap with care, and proceeded to introduce himself to Chris. Chris was fascinated beyond words! He even said how much he wanted to see Chris come back, and how one day, Chris would tell Santa how he wanted a ten-speed bike, and more. We finished the visit with pictures... And, when Mom stepped into Santa's sleigh (which is an actual, refinished, 18th Century European sleigh!), she found out about one of Santa's rules. Anyone who steps into Santa's sleigh gets a job to do! She was told to put a pair of shoes out on Christmas Eve, and there'd be something special in them in the morning!
Now... why was this Santa so special? Believe it or not -- he's the same one my brothers and I would go see for many years, way back when. This Santa has been called "The Real Santa", and he's not about processing kids through for photo ops or making money... At the end of the visit he hands out Holy Cards... and he takes time to tell stories and sing some songs with the kids. While we were there this time, there was a family there which included some grandparents. (They were actually just in front of us in line.) After the kids visited with Santa, he called up the grandfather, and took a few minutes to talk about Grandpas and read a poem about them! He's been portraying Santa for more than 50 years... You can learn more about him in an article from the Arlington Catholic Herald
. It does me good to know that this kind of tradition is alive somewhere.
