“Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies!”
The morning is cold, 32°. The wind makes it colder. I have to go out for another concert. Yesterday’s went well. We actually got a standing ovation. I think today I’ll bundle up in a few layers. I have my thick, warm sweater, my pseudo winter coat. It keeps away the cold. Lots to do. I have to fill the bird feeders. I still need to decorate the house. I need my tree. My days have just been too busy with a concert ever day, but I have all day tomorrow.
Henry avoids me. I started the eye medication yesterday so now he runs when I walk toward him. Today I bribed him with an extra treat. He is supposed to get medication at least once a day, but the vet preferred twice so that’s what I’m doing.
Daily mouse count: one today making the total five.
I remember when I was three or four and we lived in South Boston. Santa came to our apartment. My mother got us picture ready. I wore a dress and my brother wore his good pants and a shirt with a tie. I was the first to sit on Santa’s lap. I have a picture somewhere in this house of me with Santa that day. We were sitting on the couch. I am staring right at Santa’s face. I look awed, the look of a believer actually meeting Santa Claus. I don’t remember any conversation. I do remember my brother. He refused to go near Santa. He cried. I watched from behind the barely opened bedroom door. My mother thought it would be easier for my brother if I weren’t in the room. Nope. He never did sit on Santa’s lap.
One year we got a telegram from Santa. It was a real telegram delivered right to our door. It was addressed to The Ryan Children. On the top of the paper was Santa in his sleigh with his reindeer flying in front. The message looked as if the words had been cut and pasted. I know exactly what it said as I still have that telegram. Santa reminded us we needed to be good, and that he was looking forward to visiting our house on Christmas Eve. It was so exciting to get that telegram. My parents made Christmas exciting.
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December 6, 2024 at 11:50 pm
Hi Kat,
Today was sunny with a high temperature of 53°. There was absolutely no wind. I drove by a flag pole and the flag was 100% limp. This morning we officially dropped down to 31° for our first freeze.
I never believed in Santa even when I was very young. When we lived in Brooklyn until 1953, my parents had a couple who lived up the street. The mother worked for Capital records. One Christmas she gave me a 78 RPM record of Gene Autry singing Rudolph. I knew even then that Santa didn’t exist.
On Christmas Eve my sister and I hung up stockings on the mantle. My mother would fill them with candy so we didn’t feel left out of the non-religious part of the holiday. If we didn’t have Christmas, as a winter solstice holiday, we would have to invent it to keep the economy going. My father sold gift merchandise to retail stores. He told me many times that if a retail establishment has a bad holiday season, then there’s nothing they can do during the following year to make up for the loss. All the merchandise they received during the holidays, comes due on January 10th.
December 7, 2024 at 12:23 am
Hi Bob,
It was freezing all day because of the wind chill. I was out for a bit and couldn’t get back into the car and house fast enough. Saturday will be the same.
I believed in Santa Claus when I was young, starting probably around two or three. Maybe because you are Jewish you weren’t expose to the Santa story. All the pieces of the story seemed to fit. My parents helped maintain the Santa story. I don’t remember being disappointed when I found out he wasn’t real. It was sort of a neat thing to believe. I am 5 and 7 years older than my two sisters. Even though I knew, I never spoiled it for them. It would have been wrong to take away their belief.
Gift giving grew over the years. My mother only got a couple of presents as did everyone else so she didn’t feel deprived. She remembered the delight in getting an orange in the winter. Fresh fruit was rare. Imagine the reaction of a kid getting an orange now.