Do you believe in Santa Claus?

[larryJ]

I think my kids began to get the idea that Santa might not be real when I told them somewhere along the way that I had talked with Santa one year and that he told me he preferred beer and chips as opposed to milk and cookies.  I was working nights and getting home around 4 AM and it was my job to put out the presents when I got home.  Milk and cookies were not as exciting as beer and chips after a hard shift at work.  My son is 32 years old now, but it wasn't more than a few years ago when I related to him that we used to keep the presents behind a couch in the family room covered by a blanket.  Neither one of them ever looked back there for anything so it was a good hiding spot.  When I told him that, he couldn't believe that he didn't figure that out while growing up.  Hee Hee.

Larryj

[greatguns]

I never peeked because that was against the law, but shaking was okay.  Now Dad was all about shaking, weighing, and even taking a huge magnet to see if he could lift the present.  If he could not have done all that it would not have been Christmas for him.

[larryJ]

When I was a little tyke, I used to always shake the presents.  My two much older brothers used to tell me not to do that because I might break something.  I didn't listen to them.  One Christmas there was a present with my name and I shook it.  Nothing------------I shook it some more------------a slight sound--------------I shook some more-----sounded like tinkling noises---

I put it down thinking whatever was in there was now broken.  When we opened presents, that one was handed to me with the question-------did you shake it?--------------"No," I said and opened it up to find small pieces of broken glass.  I looked at my brothers wondering what it had been.  What it had been was pieces of class carefully wrapped in tissue.  The initial shake started loosening them up and further shaking made them looser and louder.  The two tormented me beyond belief.

Larryj

[Janet Harrington]

Patti and I would pull our mattress into the alcove in our bedroom upstairs.  This alcove had a window that looked over the roof of the back porch.  If it had snowed on Christmas Eve, all the better, because we knew Santa would land on that roof.  It was the only level place that he could.  We would strive to stay awake to watch Santa, but we never could.  I think I realized when Santa was only a legend the Christmas that we all got our gifts in a large paper sack with a bow.  Mother was really sick with the flu and it was all she could do to make sure her little girls had a Christmas gift from Santa.  Mother doesn't remember that Christmas, but I do.  One of my best Chrstmas gifts was an acoustic guitar that I wanted.  I got that gift and played it for many years. 

Now, as for is there a Santa Claus, yes, I believe that there is a Santa Claus everytime you give a helping hand to someone in need.