Mr. and Mrs. Clause Come to Town!

Ron and I got to play Mr. and Mrs. Kris Kringle last Thursday night for a local Vets Lodge. They have a tree-lighting ceremony outside their place every year, and Natalie happens to know the woman organizing it. This year, the lady, Hilda, complained to Natalie: "I don't know WHERE I'm going to find a Santa!!" And Natalie said, "Don't worry - I've got the PERRFECT Santa for you!"

And PERFECT Ron was. Totally believable in every sense of the word. Ron acted the part wonderfully and genuinely and i thoroughly enjoyed watching the children's eye light up. I only got to play Mrs. Clause on a whim. When Hilda was calling to set up the details for Ron, i tossed out there: "Do you have a Mrs. Clause suit?" Turns out they did - AND IT FIT (whew!)!!

Ron and i met at the Corning Fire house to get dressed. We were being escorted to the Lodge on a firetruck with all the sirens and lights! Pulling up to the lodge, i could see a TON of people waiting for Santa. As soon as we stepped off, i could hear all these voices, young and old: "Look!... It's SANTA.... AND MRS. CLAUSE TOO!" It occurred to me very quickly that i was no longer Chris but MRS. CLAUSE. In that moment, i put on the sugar-sweet smile and Miss America wave. I leaned down and cuddled children. I told Mr. Clause when a child was tugging on HIM for a hug. WHATTA SHOW!!! WHATTA THRILL!!! I mean - wow. I loved it. And i know Ron did too.

So for about an hour and a half, Ron and i sat at the front of the room, handing out candy-canes and listening to Christmas wishes. Several children brought pictures to us that they had colored. Some parents leaned in close to hear what their children wanted, and i saw many eyebrows raise and nods of realizations. One child wanted a remote-controlled tarantula! One child wanted happiness. And a lot of the kids looked to the ceiling for assistance, many not finding their answer. To that, they got TWO candy-canes, to help along the thinking process. Haha.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!