One of the traditions we had when I was growing up was the yearly trek to the mall to visit with Santa. My mother always did things well scheduled and planned, so my sister and I looked forward to the moment when we'd et dressed special and visit the Big Guy.
These keepsakes were kept in a frame that came out each Christmas. It was fun to see how we'd grown from year to year. There is even the very special photo with my life-long bestie who was always with us...okay, that sister from another mother.
The last photo with Santa is one of the most memorable. It was perhaps the only unscheduled trips to Santa. That year my sister and I fought our mother on this. We didn't want to sit on his lap. The magic perhaps was lost by then, and we were just too old. But, we obliged. We were perhaps two of the last kids to visit Santa on that Saturday night. I know it was a Saturday because we are wearing our bowling shirts. Dad was with us, and I remember thinking that it was interesting when we were done, that my dad stood there with Santa and just had a conversation like to regular men. (Even though I knew the Lakeside Mall Santa was no more than a regular man.)
When that Santa asked my sister and me what we wanted, we both replied that we didn't want anything special. We were grateful for whatever was brought to us that Christmas. When we were done, and Santa and Dad had their conversation, Santa was telling our dad that he appreciated us. We weren't greedy, and we were thankful for what we had. He wished more kids were like that.
After that year, we took two more photos, but they were with our grandfathers, and equally as special. But, no matter how old I get, I'll always remember going to see Santa each year. It truly was part of the magic of Christmas growing up.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of my This House of Boys friends. I love sharing my journey through parenthood with you all.
Love,
Bernadette Marie