Santa and me ~ 1974
My dad is Santa Claus. Yeah, I know yours is too. But my dad had a custom made (by my master seamstress of a grandmother) Santa costume, complete with authentic Santa beard and granny glasses, that he would wear and come visit us when we were kids. Now don’t ask me where he changed into this costume. I STILL don’t know. Maybe in the car or in a phone booth (we had phone booths back then, you know)… maybe in our old chicken coop…
But I digress. We kids would all be in the house doing our own things, mom would be making dinner or whatever… and there would be a knock at the door. And who would it be? Santa Claus!!! My dad was such a good Santa Claus that he could visit his OWN children, and they didn’t suspect it was him. He would have us sit on his lap and tell him what we wanted for Christmas (damn sneaky, dad), and then give us each a candy cane. My mom would make sure to have the camera ready so we could pose for a group picture. And then he’d be off into the night. Dad would show up later and be really surprised that he missed Santa Claus… again. Dad played Santa Claus for other people in the neighborhood too occasionally, but he never did parties or got paid to do it. What a character. He continued playing Santa for his grandchildren after they came along.
Santa with my baby, Anthony ~ 1988
My grandma also made herself a Mrs. Claus costume that was adorable. I am still not sure where exactly she wore it, or why… more questions I need to ask my dad, I suppose. But don’t be alarmed if you see Santa Claus driving around Springville in a Buick… it’s just my dad. He’ll probably reach into his pockets and give you a candy cane and an orange, and ask you what you want for Christmas.
Grandma in her Mrs. Claus costume
1 comment:
What an awesome story! I love that your dad got away with being Santa for his own kids!
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