Twenty plus years ago, Terry wanted me to make him a Santa Suit. Not an thin, flannel one mind you. He wanted his to look authentic, fake fur and all. So we went to S.A.S, a local warehouse that sold remnant fabric by the pound where we could get the best deal. The material was so thick that I broke several needles but he had the best Santa Suit ever. We later learned the folly of making an authentic looking outfit for a locale like Phoenix, Arizona.
Late on Christmas eve we headed off to homes of friends and family to put in an appearance. Most of these people were expecting us, as we had been able to reach them ahead of time by telephone. However, we were not able to catch the Jameson's. This was before cell phones or e-mail, and we couldn't really leave a message on an answering machine that a child might hear. After a couple of stops we headed to the Jameson's. We sat in the car outside their house wondering what to do. They didn't know we were coming, but on the other hand, Santa doesn't knock on the door! I said, "Just go for it. They are our friends, they won't mind." It was a warm night, I mean really warm. Santa was sweating. But because it was warm, the Jameson's had their door open with only the screen door closed. This was good. Terry took his pack, opened the screen door and singing a Christmas song he backed into the family room of Lorraine and Brent Jameson. (He backed in so that if anyone was improperly dressed they could escape with a minimum amount of embarrassment. ) The general surprise of everyone, including the parents convinced the children that this was the real Santa. When Terry turned around he acted surprised and befuddled and asked the children why they were still up. After giving them candy, he told them he would have to come back after they went to bed, and we left. For years the Jameson children would recite the account of the year the real Santa came.
This Christmas, I reflected on how fun that was and I remembered that Afton and Greg had a spy camera. It is activated by motion and Greg has put it up in the forest to follow the activities of elk. He can then watch the activity on his computer. I checked with them first to see if they had the camera at home, and since they did I suggested that they let the Children help set it up to "spy" on Santa. Terry posed for some great pictures. When Ethan showed up at our house Christmas morning he delighted in telling everyone how he fooled Santa. He just giggled and shook when he showed the pictures. He was so cute. His favorite picture was Santa's backside.
Late on Christmas eve we headed off to homes of friends and family to put in an appearance. Most of these people were expecting us, as we had been able to reach them ahead of time by telephone. However, we were not able to catch the Jameson's. This was before cell phones or e-mail, and we couldn't really leave a message on an answering machine that a child might hear. After a couple of stops we headed to the Jameson's. We sat in the car outside their house wondering what to do. They didn't know we were coming, but on the other hand, Santa doesn't knock on the door! I said, "Just go for it. They are our friends, they won't mind." It was a warm night, I mean really warm. Santa was sweating. But because it was warm, the Jameson's had their door open with only the screen door closed. This was good. Terry took his pack, opened the screen door and singing a Christmas song he backed into the family room of Lorraine and Brent Jameson. (He backed in so that if anyone was improperly dressed they could escape with a minimum amount of embarrassment. ) The general surprise of everyone, including the parents convinced the children that this was the real Santa. When Terry turned around he acted surprised and befuddled and asked the children why they were still up. After giving them candy, he told them he would have to come back after they went to bed, and we left. For years the Jameson children would recite the account of the year the real Santa came.
This Christmas, I reflected on how fun that was and I remembered that Afton and Greg had a spy camera. It is activated by motion and Greg has put it up in the forest to follow the activities of elk. He can then watch the activity on his computer. I checked with them first to see if they had the camera at home, and since they did I suggested that they let the Children help set it up to "spy" on Santa. Terry posed for some great pictures. When Ethan showed up at our house Christmas morning he delighted in telling everyone how he fooled Santa. He just giggled and shook when he showed the pictures. He was so cute. His favorite picture was Santa's backside.
