Visits with Santa

Every new Christmas evokes memories of all the ones we've celebrated before. Over the past week I've dug out some kids-with-Santa photos, so today, for the sake of nostalgia, I'd like to invite you to walk back through time with me. 

Unless you were alive and old enough to experience 1971, 

you'd never dream that the daughters of that year's mini-skirted moms

begged for ankle-length dresses like these that my beautiful girls

 wore when they visited Santa in Miami, Florida.

This earlier photo of Kim on Santa's knee was taken in Orange, Texas.

This dress was short, a bright red plaid that she wore with red tights.

By the length of Kim's hair and the fact that there's no matching

picture of Kelli, I'm guessing this was December of 1964. Kelli would've

been only nine months old then. If she'd been even a year older, I'm sure

I'd have propped her on Santa's lap one way or another.

Stepping back still further in time, here's my sweet sister, Judy, with Santa.

(I must note here that this Springfield, Missouri

Santa looked much more realistic than the Texas and Florida Santas

of my daughters' days. Except for his deep tan. Could that have been

windburn, do you think, from all those long sleigh rides?)

This must have been no later than 1950, because the next picture

shows me with the same Santa, and by the Christmas of 1951

I no longer believed in him. 

Of course, it could have been 1951, and I could have agreed to sit on Santa's lap

only to help keep the secret safe for Judy. I feel certain Mother would have asked me to do something like that, and it might explain the goofy expression on my face.

Or, if it was 1950, as I first guessed, maybe my eyes were lifted up because

I was concentrating on remembering every single thing on my Christmas list. 

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Whatever.

Actually, now that I think about it, that expression seems kind of familiar.

I believe I've seen it on someone else's face. Fairly recently, I'm pretty sure.

Hm. Let me think...

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Still thinking...

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Googling images...

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Oh, here it is! I remember now.

Merry Christmas, y'all!

May the Grinch stay away from 

your house all season long.