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Ahh it’s that time of year again! The tempters are dropping, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, the kids are all excited because they know who’s coming soon, relatives gather together to spread holiday cheer, and....wait, relatives? oh yeah RELATIVES!!!! We forgot to get the gifts for the RELATIVES!!!! So, bundle the kids back up, head to The Mall to find the perfect gift for those darn relatives! Kids are whining and complaining about being out shopping.  
 
That is until they catch a glimpse, over in the corner by the GIANT Christmas Tree sits a man with the ultimate power over your kids as well as millions around the world. He makes a list of all the kids to keep track if they are naughty or nice. Before his elves make and prepare the toys for him to deliver, he will check that list twice to find out if which kids deserve toys this year.  
 
It makes my mind wonder back to all the traditions we had when I was just a kid. It started on Christmas Eve (see photo and story), went through till Christmas day. The day after Thanksgiving, my father would pull out the cassette tape of Christmas songs marking the unofficial start of the season. My sister and I would do our very best to make sure we were EXTRA SPECIAL good so that we would get presents from the man with the bag. How did he know what to get us? Well, we had to tell him of course!  
 
So, while being dragged around The Mall, over heated in our winter coats, sweat pouring from our brow, we would see the giant Christmas Tree and straighten ourselves up. We went from being brats to being on our best behavior so that Mom & Dad would bring us to see him.  
 
We’d wait in line going over our list of toys we wanted. It felt like HOURS we waited but in real time it was only 15 minutes. Finally, we would be ushered to the velvet rope! This is it!! We are next! We are only feet away!!! The velvet rope would open and a choir of angels sang as we made the longest walk of our little lives. We’d sit on his lap, staring at his fluffy white bear, his warm but stylish red & white hat. We’d tell him what we wanted for Christmas as he repeated it louder for some unknown reason. We’d then face forward, smile and have our Photos With Santa!