It happened today in a Dollar General store. ?ÿI stepped out of one aisle into a short side aisle. ?ÿA boy, probably around six years old, sees me and his eyes get big. ?ÿHe headed straight towards me, leading to the following conversation:
?ÿ
Him: ?ÿMister, are you Santa Claus?
Me: Uhhhhhhhhhh, no, butttttttt I've been told I look a lot like him. ?ÿI'm good friends with several members of the Claus family and I can tell you they are wonderful people. ?ÿI'm sure he will find you next week while delivering presents around the world.
?ÿ
Meanwhile, his mother is silently telling me "Thank you" while the little fellow beams in expectation for Christmas. ?ÿA store clerk overheard our short chat and gave me a big thumbs up when the boy couldn't see what she was doing. ?ÿA fellow I know was in the next aisle and heard us. ?ÿOnce the boy was gone, he thanked me for putting a smile on the little fellow's face. ?ÿHe knew the boy well and told me there had been quite a bit of sadness in his life in recent months.
Now, if I would have had my red suit, boots and cap on, the conversation would have gone quite differently. ?ÿAs it was, blue jeans, sports shoes and a sweat shirt promoting a nearby high school are not the standard uniform for Santa. ?ÿA basket loaded with cat food and a few odds and ends didn't seem very Santa-appropriate, either. ?ÿHad I been dressed appropriately I would have told him about the picture of me, as Santa, holding a baby kangaroo on my lap while visiting a group of youngsters last week so they could get a photo of their chat with Santa. ?ÿThat photo is floating around on the internet after appearing in the Wichita Eagle and a couple local newspapers.
As a matter of fact, I knew both Eben Claus and his brother, Roy, who lived in our neighborhood when I was young. ?ÿNeither of them looked like Santa, though.
My beard gets long in the winter.?ÿ It's white and so is my hair.?ÿ Money Penny keeps promising to get me a red outfit but I've dodged those bullets so far.
And I could always lose a bunch of weight...no one likes the looks of a lean and hungry Santa Claus. ??ÿ
That was nice of you.?ÿ ? ?ÿShould have his gave his mother a"C" note to brighten their Christmas. Of course by doing that these days is liable to land you in jail for "sexual harassment".
That was nice of you.?ÿ ? ?ÿShould have his gave his mother a"C" note to brighten their Christmas. Of course by doing that these days is liable to land you in jail for "sexual harassment".
Better to give her two $50's.?ÿ She'd probably want to check your id if you gave her a C-note.
