Well, actually he has arrived… or rather they have arrived. You can see them everywhere. In malls, houses, and schools.  In fact, if my memory serves me right, I saw a Santa Claus displayed in a restaurant as early as the second week of October.

I remember when I was about 5 years old, the village had a Christmas Party for the kids in the chapel, after the mass. The kids were all dressed up –the girls in their best Sunday dresses; the boys in their pants and polo shirts. The village teenagers would assist the oldies in getting the little ones organized. We’d patiently wait for our turn to sit on Santa’s lap, get our gift, and have our pictures taken.

I don’t remember the gift I got but I am sure it was something girly.  It’s not the gift the really mattered to me, but the games that followed after the gifts have been distributed. I have always loved parlor games until now. Musical chairs, stop dancing, bring me — I still love them to this day.

Now, I am the one who plays Santa to my nephews and nieces and daughter. And I’m a godmother to two grown up girls and one cute little boy, too.  So there’d be a lot of gifts under the soon-to-be Christmas tree this year.  I don’t think there’d be toys under the Tree this year, but I’m pretty sure there would be books and clothes. No water filters too since I don’t buy wholesale water filter anymore since my brother’s in laws sold their water station business.

TRIVIA:  According to my friends, there are three things that you must bring when you first enter a house that you’re going to live in — rice, salt and a saint’s image. Since I am an agnostic, Santa Claus was the only acceptable image for me and thus the one I brought to my new home.

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