Xiaohong,  Dee Dee & Mimi with Santa, 2014

We tried a new place to visit Santa this year, Cabela's in Rivertown Plaza, Grand Rapids, MI. They took a very nice free picture and also let us take our own. 

(If you're not in the US, or are reading this a long time from now, you may not know that shopping malls charge money to have your picture taken with Santa and many prohibit cameras.)

Well, this Santa was a little late and folks behind us in line were complaining. One said she arrived earlier but Santa had to leave to feed his reindeer and she'd been waiting for 2 hours. Another wondered what in the world he could be doing; he was by that time 10 minutes late.

Turns out Santa was a very old man, and walked with a cane and the assistance of an elf.

A slideshow of our visit...

If you listen closely, you can hear Mimi munching on the candy cane. Little mouths have such a soft, gentle sound when eating.

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Fred Astaire voices the postman in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town.

I can only imagine what being as old as Santa will be like, maybe ailing, maybe on social security, and suffering through hundreds of shy, whining, antsy children while impatient parents try to coax smiles out of them.

I remember as a child watching Fred Astaire wonder at holiday scrooges and suggest Santa was a harmless diversion.

I didn't quite understand then, because no one in my small world thought Christmas a humbug.

I understand now.

Fred Astaire - Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town

Lots of unhappiness? Maybe so, but doesn't Santa take a little bit of that unhappiness away?

[2014-12-14]

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[2012-12-19: Not sure how I did it, but I published Saturday a day early, and Blogger won't let me undo it. So, welcome to Saturday's post.]

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