Here Comes Santa Claus

Do you remember the first time you saw Santa Claus? I thought about that the other day and my mind went back to 1972, or thereabouts. When I was seven we moved from Southern California to Louisiana because my dad changed jobs and was hired by Ocean Systems in Morgan City, Louisiana. Moving across country was quite an undertaking for our family. It’s a difficult thing to do and we didn’t even have the benefit of military relocation services to aid us. I digress…

Anyhow, that first Christmas we were without any family nearby and everything seemed different. Ocean Systems threw a Christmas party for their employees and families. It was at some lodge building in the swamps. There was a crawfish boil and other Cajun cuisine that was very foreign to me. I remember a rather large Christmas tree and it was the only thing that seemed Christmasy about this party. But then Santa Claus showed up! He was a rotund man wearing a red suit and a white beard, just like other Santas. We took turns sitting on his lap to receive a wrapped gift and tell him what we wanted for Christmas. I don’t remember what the gift was, but I do remember telling my dad that I didn’t think he was really Santa because his beard was taped to his face. LOL!

So how about you?