Every year I deliver countless gifts as Santa. I often go into my own pocket to provide something for the little ones who might not have anything. I love doing it. It’s my joy.
But sometimes someone gives Santa a gift:
A gift for Santa.
I was sitting on my esteemed throne last Saturday at an annual event. I’ve been going there for years and years and I’m already booked at Primrose of West Plymouth for 2013. They’re great people and great families. About 2 hours into the event a young girl came up to me with a very shy, but intense, smile. She had a box in her hands and she offered it to me with the comment, “This is for you, Santa.”
I am always honored and touched when I get one of these gifts. They have run the gamut from a pair of antlers with “Santa” on them to a full spa set. Some are still on my fridge, some enshrined in my spare bedroom in a place of honor. And some I ate so fast you would have thought I’d opened an empty container.
This one was special. She’d obviously given great thought to the items inside. There were a series of small, hand-made Christmas tree ornaments with the name of everyone in her family inscribed on them. They are going up on my tree this week. The ornaments were layered on top of some caramels and chocolates. And she beamed when I asked if I should open it then or wait until Christmas.
I don’t take myself very seriously sometimes. But I certainly take Santa seriously. He means a lot to these small children. And they mean the world to him.
I’m back. I’m starting to heal. I will miss my friend Maisie for a long time to come, but the new life has begun and this small gift and the laughter and joy that accompanied it have helped me to become myself once again. Thank you for that gift, young lady. And thank you, Santa, for giving me a special window into the world around me.
And most of all, thank you to all of my readers who have sent so many kind and wonderful notes over the past week. I appreciate all of you and the fact that you’re here today. And I know that for many of you there were tears of your own for friends in your lives with fur. Some still here, some gone on ahead. Thank you for sharing this journey with me.
And soon, hopefully, there will be another member of the family to share the love we have. We’re working on adopting a rescue dog and overjoyed at the prospect of Ed having a companion and that fourth wheel being back on the car.
God Bless you all.
