A Visit to Santa ...

I came across this "vintage" photo of yours truly visiting Santa with one of my little brothers, back in about 1952. That Santa sure is a handsome fellow!

Some of my happiest Christmas memories involve a trip to see Santa. It was always so much fun to take our children to see the jolly old elf, except for the year Katie was about 20 months. She was scared of Santa and did NOT want to be sitting on his lap. So she bit his thumb in protest! In the picture I have of that visit, her face is bright red, and she's crying and trying to wiggle off Santa's lap. But she was quite taken with him every other year. Tommy was never afraid of Santa, but that's because he always had his big sis there to protect him!

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Katie and Tommy would talk endlessly about the things they were going to ask Santa to bring them. They poured over the pages of the Sears catalog, circling everything they thought they needed. It was very serious business. Then they'd carefully write out their lists and we'd head to the mall or Dayton's in Minneapolis. I always had their pictures taken and I have a wonderful collection.