Santa, Sears, Cotton Balls & Masking Tape

“Christmas! It seems like years since last Christmas!” I thought to myself as I turned page after page in the Sears Christmas wish book. Mom wanted me to circle all the things I liked in the catalog so she could tell Santa.

I don’t know why she thought she had to tell Santa, because I would soon be in line at the Sears store, just waiting to sit on his knee.

“I can tell him myself,” I thought. But if Mom wanted me to circle things in the wish book, I’d sure do that too.

I was so excited! Santa’s outfit always felt so good! The red velvet fabric almost made it hard to balance on his knee without sliding off! “I would just grab on to that white fur trim if I started to slide!” I thought. It would all be worth it. I’d be giving my wish list to Santa!

The big night is here. It’s time for Santa to come. We arrive at Sears and get in line. As the line moves slowly passed the giant mechanical Santa that always stood in the front window of the store by the Christmas tree, I slowly made my way to the back of the store.

“Next!” one of the store employees said to me. With butterflies in my stomach, I was lifted onto Santa’s knee. I started to recite my memorized list of things I had circled in the wish book.

“Wait! What is this? What in the world?

Masking tape?

I see masking tape on the back of his white beard!

Whoa! Why that’s not even a real beard! It’s cotton balls!

It’s cotton balls stuck to masking tape that’s been fashioned into something that is supposed to look like Santa’s beard!” I thought as tears began to well in my eyes.

“Where is Santa? And who is this imposter?”

I hurriedly gave an edited version of my wish list and ran back to Mom.

“Mom! That wasn’t Santa! It was somebody with a cotton ball beard. He was pretending to be Santa!”

Thinking fast, Mom said, without hesitation, ”You know Santa just can’t be everywhere at the same time so he has helpers! I’m sure that was just one of his helpers who will tell Santa everything you want!”

“Whew!" I said. “As long as it was one of his helpers!”

From the mind of me.