It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas .............

and my first remembered experience was in Los Angeles ......... mid 40's. I must have been about 5 or 6 years old. Christmas Eve, and for an unknown reason my daddy asked me to go to the corner postal drop box to ëhelpí him mail something. After he lifted me up to drop in the envelope and then put me back down he exclaimed ............. "Look, Look !! Santa Claus"......... I frantically looked where he was pointing up over the roof tops and couldn't see anything. It was a clear night, full moon, but I could see nothing, NOTHING !!!!!!!!

"Where? I can't see him. Where?"

"Oh, itís too late ........ heís already gone".

I was so disappointed ......... REALLY DISAPPOINTED !!!!

Back at our upstairs apartment I ran up the stairs calling out to mommy that I'd missed Santa Claus. Daddy had seen him, but I couldn't find him ............ And then I stopped short because there under our Christmas tree were all the presents from Santa Claus. My first thought: "If I'd stayed home I probably would have seen him". My parents just hugged me, smiling.

Christmas has always been such a big thing in our family. Now with both my parents gone I sorely miss them at this time of year. I miss the excitement, the merriment, the many presents of bright colors, and the fact that I just couldn't see Santa Claus like my daddy did.

The holiday sights and sounds in town and in the stores bring back these memories of my first remembered Christmas, and yes it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Look up in the sky ......... If you look hard enough you'll see Santa Claus. My daddy taught me this, that you can see anything you want to see. And I do see Santa, daddy, I do see him .............