At Christmastime when I was a very young child, my parents got an idea. They got together with some of the other neighbors and decided to have one of the men in the neighborhood dress up like Santa Claus and take turns making the rounds to all the local homes to entertain and delight the children. One of the older gentlemen in the group volunteered to don the Santa Claus suit and do the honors.

Of course all the children involved were young enough to be completely unaware of the plot being devised by their parents. I do remember being completely jubilant and excited over the proposition when my parent’s informed my younger brother and I that we would be receiving a surprise visitor. On the night of the “visit” my mother made sure my brother and I ate our dinner early and had our baths. As we “jammied” up I remember being a little stressed that I wouldn’t be ready when Santa showed up. I was trying to hurry and threw my PJ’s on quickly while my mother combed out my wet freshly shampooed hair.

Soon after this the doorbell rang, and my brother and I charged to the door. Santa was there, right on our doorstep! Right about that moment, my mother got an upset look on her face and said to my Dad and Santa…”Uh…Santa, I forgot to buy film! Could you hold on a few minutes while I run to the drugstore and get some?” My dad immediately volunteered to run the errand, and interestingly enough Santa said, “I will come with you!” I was enthralled. In my mind, my dad was about to hop into Santa’s sleigh with him and take off for the nearest drugstore to buy film. I announced that I was coming, too. I wasn’t missing an opportunity to ride in Santa’s sweet ride…no way, no how! My mother grabbed me around my shoulders and said, “No…your hair is wet, and you aren’t dressed to go to the store! You have to stay home!” WHAT?I remember thinking, “MOM! You are ruining my life!”

I remember being very upset, but on some level I knew that having a tantrum or something similar to that wasn’t a smart thing to do in front of Santa Claus, so I kept my cool. As soon as my Dad and Santa left the house, my world fell apart and I began to cry. I had missed the opportunity of a lifetime I was sure of it, and it would never ever repeat itself. I was furious with my mother.

My dad and neighbor Santa went and quickly bought the film and returned to take pictures and have our special moments with Santa. I tried dismally to put a smile on my face, but was dearly disappointed in how my evening had turned out. Somewhere I have a photo of my little girl self sitting on Santa’s lap in my living room with me smiling through red eyes and tears of disappointment. It certainly was one of my more vivid Christmas memories from my childhood and one I won’t ever forget.