Christmas Eve Celebration

© 2005 copyright Raymond C. Evans

It was a fun evening last night. It was Christmas Eve, all the clan gathered at our grandson’s house for a good time. We take turns in our family, each year we celebrate in a different house until it becomes our turn again. It was great fun!

There was the usual nibbling and sampling before the meal, a sumptuous meal and then more sampling afterwards. There were Christmas cookies of all descriptions and tastes, there was carrot pudding too and lots of toys for the children. There were lots of toys, lots of children, lots of holiday snacks to taste and savor. There was sparkling apple cider and "chicken milk" (eggnog) too, for anyone who desired it. It’s just not Christmas unless one is served chicken milk.

Much to our surprise, soon after some of the dishes were put away, Santa Claus appeared. I guess he was just showing up for his share of Christmas cookies.

He looked pretty good really when you consider that he is quite a few hundred years old. When I first saw him almost seventy years ago, I never thought he would survive this long. Even then he looked old, with his long white beard and all. It seemed to me that he was about ready for the rest home down on Easy Lane even back then. He was too fat for one thing, every time he laughed; he looked like he might have Jell-O in his belly. Think of the strain on his body considering the high cholesterol he must have had.

He looked a little haggard to me, looked like he may be getting too old for the job, or perhaps he was just feeling a little tired. He did a good job though, took each little one on his knee, asked them what they had been able to extort out of their parents for Christmas and smiled together for those snapshots. He was just as good at his job as he was almost seventy years ago when I was a kid. Santa was a "shill" for all the department stores and he had learned his job well.

Times were more difficult now he explained as he headed for the door. He had to outsource the entire toy production to China. Laying off the elves was the hardest thing to do, he said, but he had tried hard to get them all a job at McDonalds and Starbucks. Most of them were working, he was glad for that.

The high cost of fuel for the reindeer was a problem for him too. It took a lot of steroid laced hay to make all those trips back and forth to China. No wonder Santa looked a little haggard.

When you consider all his difficulties though, Santa really looked pretty good; I don’t think he was smoking his pipe anymore, which should help him live longer. I think he may have been visiting the gym too, as he looked like he had lost a few pounds. He may just live a few more years yet.

Yes we truly had a fun on Christmas Eve last night.