This was rescued from the archive of the old CraicOn and dates from December 2006.
Want to be Santa?
My wife, Kelly McLaughlin, ran a pre-school in the Methodist Hall in Moville three years ago. She asked me to be Santa Claus and to deliver presents to her pre-school dressed as Santa Claus.
You can imagine my reply when she first proposed it.
However, women have a knack of breaking down your arguments whilst at the same time making you feel like the Grinch who stole Christmas.
Agreed
I eventually agreed to do it. As there was nowhere to get changed up there without the children seeing, she wanted me to walk up through the town with the outfit on.
After previous experiences of making my way through London for a Fancy Dress party dressed as a convict many years before, I declined.
I got changed immediately outside.
Happiness is a Warm Eye
I’m glad I did do it now.
There were two children there who knew me, my niece Keira McLaughlin and neighbour Keith Craig, but they didn’t recognise me at all. All they saw was Father Christmas.
They all sang a song for me, and then I gave them a present each.
Kiss
I gave my wife and her fellow worker a big tin of After Eight each. I then demanded a kiss from my wife for Santa. She wasn’t keen in front of the children, but I asked them what they thought and they voted for it.
I just hope that they get it right when they tell their parents.
Presents
I told them I’d be back again to their houses on Christmas Eve and asked them what they wanted me to bring. They gave me a whole heap of requests and I agreed to them all.
I might be the least popular Santa every in the town amongst parents.
I shouldn’t really have done it, but how could Santa tell kids that they couldn’t get the presents that they wanted the most. I could see no viable alternative.
Happy Faces
It was amazing looking at the nine little kids looking up at me. They all saw Santa there and their eyes really glowed with warmth.
It was a great feeling.
I’m glad I did it.
Next Year
I can’t wait for next year now.
There’s still a few things that I could work on and improve on. I have a few ideas.
Maybe I could hire a horse and cart next year and bring them their presents. Maybe I could bring all the kids of the town a present on the horse and cart on Christmas Day next year.
Got the Bug
As you can see I’ve got the bug.
Who couldn’t get it after seeing the eyes of the children so happy at seeing Santa – me.
I wonder if the parents would pay for this service. I wonder if I could turn this into a real money-spinner next year.
I bet I could!
Perish the thought though.
Reward
This is Christmas, and the eyes of those children were reward enough.
I’m sure, also, that my wife will be very pleased when she gets back home too – and I’ve still got the Santa outfit!