Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to one and all. I went shopping for dinner with my family tomorrow. I have no time to cook so I buy from the bakery. I got fruit, pie, and cookies. Then watched TV until time to go feed my sister's cats. I left something in their stockings and wrapped up the cat gifts. Have to call tomorrow to tell my niece that I left cookie and milk for Santa on her behalf. I doubt she will notice the lack of dirty dishes in the sink.

I recall the time I believed in Santa. One year I heard a noise downstairs and ran down screaming "Santa!". It was my Dad coming home from work on the railroad. Another year I waited until everyone gone to bed and snuck down to hide in the closet. Heard a noise and cracked the door open to find my Dad taking off his shoes. I shut the door to have him open it again. I wanted to see Santa, I explained. Go to bed, he answered. I gathered my pillow and blanket in obedience while he turned away. I grabbed the door and locked it. He pounded on the door ordering me to come out or he will get the key to unlock it. I negotiated that I would unlock the door if he promised not the spank me. He promised and I went to bed. Then another I announced I was sleeping on the couch to see Santa come. After a big fight with my family how I will fall asleep and won't see him, my family got tired of arguing and went to bed. Of course I fell asleep and Mom came down after a while in her robe to check on me. I told her I was awake and she sat down on the couch with me. Then I woke up in my own bed. Another year I got up at midnight to see Santa's sleigh looking outside my window. I waited and waited, but saw nothing. Disappointed I went to bed.

But it didn't last. I started to notice Santa's gifts were wrapped in paper we bought the year before and then saw a price tag on a gift made in Santa's workshop. And then the heart breaking of finding my Santa gift under my Mom's dresser when I was looking for bows. But it upset my family asking if Santa was real so a couple years I pretended to believe setting out cookies and milk for Santa. Then I found my Santa gift under Mom's bed (I was searching this time) and later refused to leave cookies because there was no Santa. I asked later who had been eating the cookies and drinking the milk. Dad. I think it broke their hearts and Mom commented she needs to hide the presents better. This lead to carefully untaping my presents under the tree to see what I got and taping it back up, I replaced the tape if I ripped the paper. When my older nieces figured out there was no Santa, they asked if I believed in Santa. I always said, Yes, I'm Santa Claus and when you give a gift without expecting anything in return, you are Santa Claus too. I think they liked my answer better than, Sorry for lying to you all these years.

Merry Christmas. Bye!