Eddy Arnold, 'Christmas Can't Be Far Away',"A neighbor tipped his hat to me this morning The landlord even smiled and said good day And I want you to know a stranger said hello Christmas can't be far away."

I do bid you a warm welcome on this Friday, December 20, 2019. Each season, I do several events as Santa booked by our friend, Mike Zepeda. Mike's daughter, Morgan, was with him the other evening. I asked her if she knew that I had been taking photos with her for a long time. She said she didn't remember if I had. It took me a few minutes but I found and pulled up and showed her the one on the left from 2012 and that's her on my left side along with her sister, Madison. She was four. The newer one on the right is from earlier this week. She is now eleven. Don't doubt Santa. He knows! We took the day off this past Wednesday to observe our wedding anniversary. We started out by having a great breakfast together at the House of Pies. We then went to the movie house and watched Frozen II. Walt Disney would have been proud of the animation magic on the screen. The messaging and underlying themes having to do with the abuse of nature and the treatment of indigenous people groups, well, I'm not sure he would have thought that to be children's entertainment. Some would say little kids wouldn't even notice. Don't doubt their abilities to pick up these types of themes. And, that was my throwdown assessment. Spectacular images surrounded by the other stuff. We finished off the day at the steak house and we both looked at each other and said, "We've had a wonderful day together and what a good way to celebrate number 55."

Speaking of our anniversary, here is the final paragraph from my blog entry regarding our time together, from back on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, entitled: "What makes it work? Working at it!" ~ The journey has not always been smooth. The road we’ve traveled has had its fair share of potholes, detours, and slippery slopes. Therefore, we can only thank God for His grace and His provision in allowing us to arrive at this place so many years later. Somewhere along the way, I came to realize the great treasure God had given to me. Since that time I have tried to make this understanding a reality in my life with her. All those in our family who have been with us for any length of time know I have co-opted Jackie Gleason’s famous line from the ‘Honeymooners TV Series’ when he summed up his good fortune in having his great wife by saying: ‘Baby, you’re the greatest!” And, that’s my thoughts exactly! Forty-three and counting! Amen. ~

Santa and Mrs. Claus did a special needs class at a local school yesterday and made many photos at a neighborhood outreach for some dear friends of ours last night. These were very rewarding. I do my last paid event tonight and we are scheduled to visit the Christmas party for the Down Syndrome Association of Houston in the morning. We are happy to announce these to be our final appearances of the season. This will allow us to begin to begin our preparations for our annual family Christmas gathering. I want to mention a couple of the supporting cast that contributed to our ability to keep this 26 event schedule. Thank you, Blue-Emu Cream. Thank you, Equate 8HR Arthritis Pain Relief, Acetaminophen Extended-Release Tablets, 650 mg. And, as always, thanks to my lovely wife, The Mrs. Claus, for her continuing work and support. We already have a number of bookings for next season. We agreed to put them down on the calendar. But, as with everything in this life, they are as we are, in God's hands. We will see. Have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday. Until next time, may God bless each one. Amen. ....More later.