Loose Leaf Notes

I went to see Santa! He’s an old friend. The real Santa, I’m convinced. The spirit of St. Nick incarnate.

He brought the kid out in me. I raised my hand like the other kids and most of the adults when he asked, ‘who’s on the list?’“ The naughty list?” he joked. And I sang along to all the songs!

He was accompanied by the Figgy Pudding Band, saints all the them, Santa said.

Here’s Santa telling how he came to laugh HO HO and what Figgy Pudding is.

He brought Holly the reindeer, Rudolph’s sister who has a green nose. He told her story and sang a song about her… “Spread a little sparkle dust wherever you may go, share a little Christmas spirit and watch the magic grow, Sing a little song of Peace and Joy for everyone to hear, Be a little more like Holly and make it last all year…”

There was a moose named Chocolate and a little reindeer named Buck who wanted to join the sleigh team but wasn’t behaving well. Santa told the children that we learn by watching others, and if they behaved well they could show Buck how to do it and help him make the team.

The hour spent with Santa was entertaining, educational and heartwarming. Magic was surely afoot. We danced to a Christmas rock song… Rocking around the Christmas Tree. And Santa joined in!

We didn’t eat any figgy pudding but there were plenty of treats to be had at The Floyd Country Store, the cozy community venue that hosted Santa’s visit as a free admission event.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SANTA CARES PROJECT, a non-profit organization committed to fostering the Christmas Spirit all year through educational and creative programs. “We believe the Christmas Spirit means it’s not about what you get, but how you love and care for yourself and others that matters,” The Santa Cares Project’s webpage reads. They’re on Facebook too.