WILKES-BARRE — I will never forget my first in-person encounter with Santa Claus.
It scared the chocolate chip cookies out of me.
My Mom took me to Fowler Dick & Walker The Boston Store to see the man in the red suit and I was all-in — until I was next in line.
I can recall seeing him with that white beard and rosy cheeks and that loud, “Ho! Ho! Ho!”
I started to shake. I held my Mom’s hand so tightly, I didn’t want to let go. But Mom pried her hand from mine and assured me that Santa was a jolly old elf and then she said those words:
“If you don’t tell Santa what you want for Christmas, he will skip our house on Christmas Eve.”
Wait. What? Is that for real?
Alrighty then, I decided I could do this.
As I gingerly walked toward Santa, an elf, I presume, lifted me, turned me around and plopped me on Santa’s knee.
I was face-to-face with the guy who would bring me presents on Christmas — I had to tell him what I wanted.
To be honest, to this day I have no idea what I asked Santa for — no clue.
And I was so relieved when that same elf lifted me off of Santa’s knee and sent me back to my Mom.
The attached picture accurately captures the fear I was feeling that day.
I wasn’t sure about the guy and I really didn’t fully appreciate the fact that he was the guy who brought me all those presents that only an only child could get.
However, once I grasped the concept, I was sure to visit Santa every year, and I would bring a very lengthy handwritten list for him to take back to the North Pole with him.
And the process always worked. And I was appreciative, leaving Santa a plate full of my Mom’s homemade cookies and a glass of milk. As I recall this, I find it a bit coincidental that my dad loved the same kind of cookies that my mom baked for Santa.
So for generations, before and after my youth, kids have anticipated going to the department store or the mall to wait in line to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. It’s been a tried and true proven process.
These days, when I see a child in fear of Santa Claus, it makes me sad. Do these kids realize the risk they are taking? If they don’t tell Santa what they would like for Christmas, chances are they are going to be very disappointed come Christmas Day.
Can you imagine a child waking up, running to the decorated Christmas tree and standing there staring at zero presents under the tree?
Well, they should have been brave and sat on Santa’s lap and told him what they wanted for Christmas instead of running away crying.
These Santa-fearing kids need some pre-Santa visit counseling. They need to be told, in no uncertain terms, that despite the gaudy red and white suit and the long white beard and hair, Santa really is a jolly old elf.
Trust me kids, you will be glad you took the time to prepare for Santa.
Yes, kids should be forewarned that they better be good, for goodness sake because Santa is always watching and he knows if you’ve been bad or good. Just know that good behavior will result in a very Merry Christmas.
That was more than enough for us. We did not need a tattletale elf to spy on us. We knew Santa was watching — always. He knew when we were naughty and nice.
We knew that Santa — the king of all elves — would be watching us 24/7/365.
The only worse threat that our parents would level at us dealt with sending us to Kis-Lyn, where all very bad kids would go and be incarcerated. We did not want to go there, and we did not want to ever get on Santa’s naughty list.
Christmas is a time of giving — not just receiving. It’s a time of gathering and sharing and being thankful for all we have.
We all want to celebrate and enjoy the holidays, but we also should take time to remember those who are not able to celebrate or enjoy and we should do all we can to help where we can.
There are so many children in families of need that deserve a Merry Christmas. We need to do all we can to help.
I always think of that Make-A-Wish child whose wish was to have Santa bring presents for his mom and his siblings. That kid never asked for anything for himself. He knew what Christmas was really all about.
Our community needs to do all it can to see that all children enjoy the holidays. Putting smiles on those little faces really is something we need more of these days.
This holiday season, bring out the Santa in you.
We have time now to make this happen.
Santa can only do so much.