When Sam and Joelle were little, we had the most wonderful of in-home daycare providers. Her name was Bette Hair of Bette’s Kid Korner, and without her, I am not sure how we could have survived. I know this to be true, because she had retired by the time Dane came along, and it was very different without her.

Bette loved Christmas, and decorated her house fully each year with multiple trees. She also would have a holiday party for all parents and her children, which ended up being a very full house with 12 children, 24 parents, and her two assistants. All the children would be dressed in their very best, food was aplenty, and smiles were everywhere. She had gifts for the parents in the form of pictures that she had taken over the course of the year, so it was a party that we all looked forward to attending.

If Bette could, she would also have a Santa come to the party. The year in which Joelle was born, Jon decided to rent a Santa costume and be the Santa. Since Jon was Jewish, the irony of this made it even more special. I knew Jon had planned to be Santa, and was very worried that Sam would figure out Santa was her Dad, and blow his cover. If that happened, it could be devastating with some very inquisitive and very smart toddlers wondering about this whole Santa thing.

I got to the party early, and the plan was to have Santa arrive after everyone had arrived and the party was in full swing. I told Sam that Daddy had to work late, and would not be able to go to the party. Prior to getting to the party, Jon drove around Richmond in his full Santa costume and you can’t even imagine the attention he got. This costume was all out. It had the black boots, full beard, velvety suit, and was the real deal. Since Jon didn’t need any stuffing to fill out the costume he made the PERFECT Santa. Later that night, we had a work party to go to and Jon would wear the same costume, and how much fun he had. Everyone wanted to sit in his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas.

Also, we had a friend Paul that was traveling to Georgia with his young 3 year old daughter Kristen, and wanted a special visit from Santa too. Paul wanted his young daughter to stop sucking her thumb and also to give her a very large gift that would be easier given before Christmas than to haul to Georgia. The gift was a huge dollhouse. So Jon went to their house, jingling and ready to give this little girl the surprise of her life. When she saw Santa on her porch, her eyes were wide, and then she saw the huge wrapped gift. Santa explained that he knew she would not be home for Christmas, and wanted to make sure she got the gift she had asked for, and there were no mishaps in the delivery. She was so excited, as were her parents, to the cameras were in full use. Before he left, Santa went over to Kristen and said you have to promise me one thing. He said “you have to really try and stop sucking your thumb, and I’ll be watching.”

Next it was time for Santa to make his appearance at Bette’s Kid Korner. I was beginning to get worried, because it seemed like forever and Jon had still not made it. I was wondering if Bette had called and gotten someone else to be Santa instead. I was in Bette’s basement with some of the parents and children when Santa finally arrived. Sam was 3 and Joelle was only 2 months old. Some of the older children were already 4, so they too could possibly figure out that this Santa was in fact Jon. We figured the voice would blow his cover. But I am here to tell you all this worrying was completely unfounded. When Jon arrived, I could not even tell it was him. I had to get literally right in his face, look through the beard, and questioned him quietly as to whether it was him. There was no way anyone could tell it was Jon. All of the children were clamoring around Santa including Sam, and it was an absolute delight. Even the parents were dumbfounded as to how good the costume was, and Jon’s pleasure in saying “Ho-Ho-Ho, Merry Christmas!” could not be contained. I wish that back then we had a video of this special day, but the memories are so clear and vivid it is not necessary for me. There is a picture with Santa and me and Joelle that is especially clear in my mind, and remember how happy and excited I was in that moment, holding Joelle, and having everyone at Bette’s Kid Korner get the full Santa experience!