 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Santa Anxieties Linda Sellers For some people it is clowns. For some bats. For some the scary monkey in the closet. I was terrified of Santa as a child. And come on...what about a giant man in a red suit and beard smelling of Aqua Velva and candy canes wouldn't scare a child of 4? I didn't grow up in Richmond going to Miller and Rhoads' Tea Room with my grandmother. I am from a small town in Maryland where Malls didn't exist. Each year they erected a tiny hut in the downtown shopping area and you stood in line for an hour or more on a Saturday afternoon until you were escorted into the dark abyss with your mother or father, forced to sit on his lap and tell him what you wanted for the holidays. Inevitably I was in tears by the time I got inside. I left convinced I would never receive what I wanted after Santa saw that spectacle. Thank goodness he is a forgiving man.After a few years of utter embarrassment on my Until I had kids. Well, you do a lot of things for your children outside of your comfort zone that you wouldn't normally do in a normal situation. And so we made the trek to Regency to visit Santa every year. At first. Funny thing about that old guy. Even in big open quarters, he still can scare the willies out of a small child. Lines were still forever long. Automotronics distracted the kids and they were ready to go before we even got to the gate. Well I can tell you there was no way I was going to go FOR my kids. I got out of that a long time ago. Always being on the leading edge of technology in our household, we decided to fax Santa. That worked for my kids and for me. Presents still made it on time, and so no penalty was incurred. I was home free. Have I scarred my kids? Will they take their kids and happily wait in line? Or will I happily take my grandkids and do what I hated doing all those years? That's a few years away, but I can't wait to find out. Christmas letters are a wonderful alternative and there are many innovative programs out there. If you decide to write Santa a letter this year, consider supporting the Believe program at Macy's. They have teamed up with the Make-a-Wish Foundation and for every letter mailed at Macy's stores this year, $1 will be donated to the Foundation up to $1million. Great cause, great idea and I can avoid Santa yet again this season! Short Pump Preppy
Previous entry: Spying On Suburbia:Swallow Your Grapes
Next entry: Young Chefs Galore!
Comments
There are no comments for this entry |
