Does This Offically Make Us Elves?

A longstanding Christmas tradition in my family is driving around nearby vicinities looking at lights. Now, there were some fabulous displays in and around town, as there are today. But back then, you’d see so many whole streets and neighborhoods going all out. I remember one house we made sure to visit every year because the man who lived there built a new display every single year. That moved. And had music. And he was a grandpa at the time. Incredible.

When I was a tween or teen or whatever they call kids too young to vote, we’d weave our way through a neighborhood in the adjacent suburb that had contests. Each street would take a theme, and you could even catch a horse-drawn carriage to take you down lane are twinkling lane. And at one house, there was Santa. OK, there were lots of Santas, but this was the real deal. He sat in a sleigh, and you could walk right up, sit on his lap, and tell him your Christmas wishes, just like at the mall but without the endless, overheated line or mandatory expensive photo. Santa would give you a candy cane, and you would go on your way, with just a little more Christmas cheer in your heart. My little brother and sister might hesitate at the last moment to get out of the car, so I would lead the way as they followed, awestruck.

Fast forward a few (ahem) years, and now we live in that neighborhood. Sadly, the contest is long gone, but some of the streets still keep up with traditions a little bit. When we moved in, I made sure to find out if our street carried any theme from lawn to lawn, which is why we now have PVC pipe candy canes lining our walkways strung with little white lights. And maybe someday, I can get the Hub to work with me on a special display we can change and add to annually. I’ve always dreamed that one day, our house would be one people made special trips to see or at least slowed down to admire.

But one thing remains: Santa. And we’ve taken Sammy first, then Sabrina, every single year. Santa is always hospitable, even when a certain young lady gets a little too nervous to approach. It’s certainly a highlight to my Christmas, and I hope he keeps visiting, this last week before the big day, for many years to come.

Now, imagine my surprise a couple years back, when the Hub was doing some research on our little burg (for shipping purposes), only to discover that Santa’s host family shares our last name, and is in fact, distant relation. Pretty cool. Looks like we’ve got an in at the North Pole.