Like Father, Like Son….It’s Santa!
It takes a special heart to play Santa Claus….
And, I live with such a one…
But, let’s go back into history for a moment to share a legacy my husband’s father left him so you can see that my husband’s special heart was one born from the love and kindness of his father, Herschell
Ian’s Daddy was a man who loved Christmas….
All of it…the twinkle lights, the Santa suit, the candy canes
The laughter of little children, the magic of a Christmas Eve visit from the red suited man
Herschell didn’t worry about confusing the love of God with the joy of seeing Santa,
He was wise enough to know that children could relate to a kind and generous Santa who then
shared his love for a kind and generous Lord
And, that is what Herschell did for me
And, it is what he did for my babies
When Ian and I married, he came across a picture I had on my shelf of my three children and his Daddy dressed in a Santa suit. Ian was so excited to realize that, while he and I had not seen or spoken to one another in thirty years, his Daddy had played Santa to my children for ten of those.
It was fun to go into the attic and locate many of the annual photos we had of my children sitting on Herschell’s lap! I have to confess, I barely remember them doing that, but there they were in full color!
The first photo I have is of me five months pregnant with my firstborn, Madison. Then, there was one from almost every year thereafter until my boys were around ten years old. We cherish these photos now, realizing the tie that bound us together, even when we didn’t realize that the tie was even there.
It is normal for Children to be afraid of a larger than life Santa, but there are no tears in a single photo of Santa Herschell with my children. I think they knew he was safe and kind and wonderful…
And, Herschell was….
Fast forward to this year, 2020
The year which has brought so much uncertainty, pain, grief, and loss…
Ian and I decided to “bring back” that joy which we both felt in the presence of his father playing Santa and dusted off our Santa suit, unpacked the Santa bells, and had Santa come to our office to spread joy and laughter
And, it worked!!
Monday, December 14, 2020 will always be a treasured memory for me….
Watching my husband, Ian, come down the hallway of our office ringing his Santa bells and calling out
Ho Ho Ho
Was magical!!
And, when I closed my eyes for a moment, I could see his Daddy
I could hear that sweet, sweet voice calling the same out to us…
Ho Ho Ho…..Merry Christmas
And, I felt it…
The magic and wonder and sweetness of the season!
Ian is his Father’s son….
Merry Christmas!
Mama
Dedicated to Herschell and Dorothy Young – what we would give to hear your voices and give you a hug….but, Ian does you proud. He is a wonderful husband, Dad, and Papa! And, Santa!
