Josh was four years old and all he wanted for Christmas was a toy record-player.
We walked hand-in-hand to the post office, mailing our letter to "Santa Claus, North Pole" and marking it "Urgent – Please read upon receipt" across the back of the envelope.
A few weeks before Christmas, we were invited to my brother's house in New Jersey for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Ralph has four girls, and the two youngest – Jackie and Julie – were only eight months older than Josh – beautiful redheaded twins who adored Joshua — and he loved being around them.
I sat down on the floor, next to him.
I wrapped my arms around him and rocked him….
We sat there a little longer while Josh thought about this… He wanted to believe me, but I could see he wasn't quite there yet….
On Christmas Eve morning, we prepared to go to my brother's house. My husband, Fred, had taken all the presents – including the coveted toy record-player – down to the car and put them in the trunk the night before.
While it was all I could do not to smile, I realized that this "crucible of doubt" was going to be a turning point for Josh – this was very serious business. ..
We left for New Jersey. But, not before Fred went back upstairs, "to go to the bathroom," poured the milk back in the carton and left the glass where he found it, grabbed the note, and put the cookies in his pocket.
Josh had a great time that evening, playing with his cousins. As hard as they tried to stay up and sneak a peek at Santa, all the kids finally couldn't keep their eyes open. Off they went to bed.
The next morning, I heard the excited screams as all the kids ran down the stairs. I heard the whooping and hollering and crying out in delight at what they saw under the tree.
I rolled over and said to Fred, "C'mon, wake up… we have to get these pictures…" We pulled on sweats and walked out into the hall….
Yes, my dear, sweet child…. He does….
This is Josh at that "Ah-ha!" moment about Santa, with Julie and Jackie in the background and me and the record player in the foreground. The Big Eyes tell the whole story….
Another wonderful episode, Linda. And that photo is priceless! I hope you have a wonderul "Mom" time in Minneapolis over Christmas even, or perhaps especially, it entails "cooking dinner every night." hehehe.
Love your writing style and your slices of life. Reminds me to treasure every moment.
Impressive blog. My class mates and I were just discussing this the other day. Also your site looks good on my old palm treo. And thats rare. Nice work.