Another day in the life and times of a fabled myth.

Today is Wednesday, December 12, 2018, and I bid you a brief ho ho ho, and away we go. Brief because we have an early Santa Enterprise engagement this morning. We will be working in a school today that has 600 students. Their intention is to offer a photograph with Santa and Mrs. Claus to every student. We did several hundred of these types of photos at a school yesterday in a 5-1/2 hour marathon session. We are scheduled to begin today at 8 a.m. and will be snapping photos through 3 p.m. The work we did yesterday was for pre-K through 5th grade. It was grueling, however, rewarding at the same time. The half dozen ladies doing the volunteer work not only worked their buns off but, they did it, all day long, with a smile. One of their biggest problems came about with those who signed up late, as in, they brought their form and their money on the last day. Coordinating all of these late sign-ups was challenging. However, as we were leaving, one of the volunteers told us we would not believe how much good they will be able to do with the funds raised from this one activity. That made us feel pretty good, that is, except for Uncle Arthur, (arthritis), and he could not be persuaded that sitting that long and lifting that many well-fed kiddoes was worth the time and effort.

The other day I was taking a break at the food court after having walked for a while at the big mall. Suddenly, a fellow was standing at my table. It was none other than the mall Santa himself. He was on his way to his workstation. He is a big guy, standing at least 6'-2". He called me his brother and said this, "Hey, I just wanted you to know that you can take over my chair downstairs anytime you want to." We both laughed. We chatted for a few minutes and kids began coming up to him. One young lady in her teens came up and asked him for a hug. I asked her what about me, but, she just ignored my comment. The Suit. It does make a difference. People recognize me and even call me Santa, but, when I am in the same conversation with the fellow all decked out in The Suit, well, he is the center of attention. I told the wife the other day that perhaps I should consider a lesser suit for some of our events. She told me my suit is what makes my brand. I am the 'real Santa' because when suited up I fulfill that image to most people. I guess in this scenario clothes do make the man. The mall Santa told me he had been doing Santa work for over 30 years. Wow! He also said he had promised himself to not do mall work anymore, however, he said, "But, here I am." One of the kids asked the mall Santa why he was talking to me and he replied, "I'm just visiting with one of my brothers."

As they say, if The Suit fits, you are probably overweight. The wife and I were in the mall one evening and we saw him in his chair. It was bring your pet for photos with Santa evening. There were several animals and their owners in line. While I am not against animals, the idea of an overexcited Dalmatian urinating on me, well, it's just not something I desire to be involved in. He looked perfectly happy with handling the pets and I say more power to him. Okay. I had better close this off early. It's a little after 4 a.m. and I have to get on with getting ready to get on with the day, Today. Take care and enjoy, and, never forget that whether you sit for long stretches in a Santa chair or you are just able to get up and go, it is a provision from Almighty God, and He should be recognized and thanked. Amen. ....More later.