Hey, Santa, Where's Your Reindeer?

Caller: Hello, Mr. Jones?
Blogger: Yes.
Caller: This is the Living Waters Community. Could you help us and be Santa for a weekend?
Blogger: Of course. When?
Caller: Next Saturday and Sunday.

So it began. A call to help with 'Christ in Christmas', to be held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. I had only a few days to put on 30 pounds. I had anticipated such a need but was going to have problems as I had a few tennis games scheduled. I did not want to put the weight on with beer, though it was tempting. I gave up and told myself that I would have to be myself. I need not have feared. All was ready for me as I arrived for my first evening session. Santa costume? Sure: pure polyester. Santa boots? Check. Slip on plastic leggings. Santa hair? Yes. Fluffy white nylon. Santa beard? Of course, and all the hairs gravitate into your mouth so do not try to eat and drink with it on. Santa gloves? Check. Belt? Yep. Hat with bobble? Betcha!

I did my first stint on Saturday evening and another at noon on Sunday. If I had thought it was hot inside all that synthetic material, I had no idea it would be SO hot. I felt sweat rolling down my chest from the moment I put on my suit. One I packed on my 'stomach' (not duck down pillow), I was a waddling duck, for true. Down the stairs I went, like at a ball, bell ringing and "Ho, ho, ho," rolling off my tongue. Children looked up and smiled, or ran for cover. Once I was in my 'grotto', the flow of children and parents wanting to talk to Santa moved steadily. All the parents seemed to think that putting on a broad grin would make their child smile and if that did not work then putting up rabbit ear fingers would do the trick. Wrong! I told a few of them to just take a stroll and leave the kids to play with my bell; they usually made themselves happy and smiled naturally.

A few adults kept on walking past, looking longingly at my beard. Those who dared to speak made clear that they were looking for something from Santa: "You have an envelope for me?" one lady asked. She was not put off by no several times and gave me a story about how the recession had been hard. Children, of course, wanted to get into Santa's good books. They asked where I lived and how I would know their houses. Some wanted to check that I was real and would not be happy till they had a pull on my beard. "Ouch!" I yelled, and that seemed to stall them. Some wanted to be sure that I was not suffering and offered to get me some of the samples on offer: baked ham, black cake, even a cappuccino. As I mentioned, though, eating with nylon beard dressing is not fun. I could listen to the parang music without problems but had to resist ringing my bell at the same time.

But, the children who spoke to Santa or had their pictures taken with him (with or without their parents) were all happy. The little ones with cats painted on their faces were not worried when Santa offered to take them to the North Pole to help make gifts, and held my hand and headed for my sleigh. You have to love the trusting mind of a child and their capacity for belief in people who seem good and kind.

The pictures of Santa and his friends will be posted shortly on the Barbados Island Photos site.