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| First appearance of the 2010 season! |
Good morning and welcome to the
Tuesday before Turkey Day on this
November 23, 2010. As many of you know, I did my first Santa appearance last Saturday. I was a little apprehensive about doing this particular event but once I got around my fan base (children aged one to 99) everything else became less important. We did get to see some children. I'm talking photos, photos, photos. It was only a total of four hours but we did some 285 portraits, many of them with more than one child. Santa had a wonderful time but by the end of the program he could feel the lasting effect of lifting so many beautiful children. I do take seriously most of the things I become involved in and I certainly have tried to do my homework on being Santa. I've studied many photographs of other people doing the same thing. One thing I have tried to do is make sure I have a smile because I noticed that in the photo databases I looked through many of the mall Santas did not always have one. I suppose the biggest challenge I had Saturday was the heat and believe me it was hot. Several of the children commented on it when they sat on my lap. When it gets warm like that it causes my hat to want to slip and since it is already too big that created some less than perfect shots. I am working on ways to improve that situation. My wife couldn't be with me on Saturday but when she's around she always tries to catch things like that. It turned out to be a great experience and I did my best to leave my identity behind as I joined the children in their fantasy world for a short period of time. Believe me, they will have plenty of real world stuff to deal with soon enough.
This event was put on at a huge busy upscale hotel. The actual Santa Gingerbread Workshop was on the second floor in a large ballroom. This created quite an interesting situation. I was dropped off at the main entrance and that immediately caused a stir. I received quite a bit of attention. Everyone has a cell phone that takes photos and many of them wanted a photo even as I passed through the hall. I was able to go over to a table in the lobby and thank some military men and women for their service to our country. I also wished them a merry Christmas. Children can spot Santa a very long way off. And, here they came. I had my briefcase with me and one little girl told her mom, "Look, Santa has his own purse." I finally made my way to the escalator and up to the meeting room. Kids were already waiting for the event to start. I now know at least on a small scale how a celebrity feels. The sessions were 2 hours each, one in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. The people putting on the workshop brought in sandwiches for us but I had to go down the hall to another room and everywhere I went people wanted me to stop for a photo. I couldn't even go and feed my reindeer (restroom break) without being tracked down. When the last photo had been taken I tried to get myself ready for my journey back down to the front entrance. To say the least, I was a very popular fellow on that particular day. I sat out on a bench in front of the hotel waiting for my ride and had many opportunities to meet and greet children and adults. That's right. Many of the adults, especially the ladies, wanted a photo with Santa. What an experience!
My son picked me up and two of the grandchildren were with him. I told him to roll down the back window and I continued to greet folks as we made our way out of the mall area. The grand kids got a huge kick out of how people on the street were stunned to see Santa passing by. Once home I quickly changed and found my way to the recliner. Some time later I awoke to my granddaughter laughing, "Poppy, you were snoring so loud but it was so funny." I, of course, did what my grandfather used to do, I said I wasn't even sure I had fallen asleep, but at that, several others joined in to not just back up her story but also to join the laughter. Can't a tired Santa enjoy a little peace and quiet and maybe a snore or two? On Sunday we had a great Bible study and then I was off to drive across town to meet Mom and Dad where they were visiting my brother in the hospital. It was so good to see them and to mark the slow but steady progress being made by my brother. We are busy about getting ready to get ready for our Thanksgiving Day celebration. Lord willing, our gang will all meet up over at our eldest son's home and we are anticipating a great day. I have been trying my best to spend more time this week thanking God specifically for all the blessings He has provided to me, and that includes naming people one by one. Try it, it will change both your altitude and your attitude. Have a blessed day and I'll see you next time.
Amen. ......More later.
This event was put on at a huge busy upscale hotel. The actual Santa Gingerbread Workshop was on the second floor in a large ballroom. This created quite an interesting situation. I was dropped off at the main entrance and that immediately caused a stir. I received quite a bit of attention. Everyone has a cell phone that takes photos and many of them wanted a photo even as I passed through the hall. I was able to go over to a table in the lobby and thank some military men and women for their service to our country. I also wished them a merry Christmas. Children can spot Santa a very long way off. And, here they came. I had my briefcase with me and one little girl told her mom, "Look, Santa has his own purse." I finally made my way to the escalator and up to the meeting room. Kids were already waiting for the event to start. I now know at least on a small scale how a celebrity feels. The sessions were 2 hours each, one in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. The people putting on the workshop brought in sandwiches for us but I had to go down the hall to another room and everywhere I went people wanted me to stop for a photo. I couldn't even go and feed my reindeer (restroom break) without being tracked down. When the last photo had been taken I tried to get myself ready for my journey back down to the front entrance. To say the least, I was a very popular fellow on that particular day. I sat out on a bench in front of the hotel waiting for my ride and had many opportunities to meet and greet children and adults. That's right. Many of the adults, especially the ladies, wanted a photo with Santa. What an experience!
My son picked me up and two of the grandchildren were with him. I told him to roll down the back window and I continued to greet folks as we made our way out of the mall area. The grand kids got a huge kick out of how people on the street were stunned to see Santa passing by. Once home I quickly changed and found my way to the recliner. Some time later I awoke to my granddaughter laughing, "Poppy, you were snoring so loud but it was so funny." I, of course, did what my grandfather used to do, I said I wasn't even sure I had fallen asleep, but at that, several others joined in to not just back up her story but also to join the laughter. Can't a tired Santa enjoy a little peace and quiet and maybe a snore or two? On Sunday we had a great Bible study and then I was off to drive across town to meet Mom and Dad where they were visiting my brother in the hospital. It was so good to see them and to mark the slow but steady progress being made by my brother. We are busy about getting ready to get ready for our Thanksgiving Day celebration. Lord willing, our gang will all meet up over at our eldest son's home and we are anticipating a great day. I have been trying my best to spend more time this week thanking God specifically for all the blessings He has provided to me, and that includes naming people one by one. Try it, it will change both your altitude and your attitude. Have a blessed day and I'll see you next time. Amen. ......More later.
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