Pardon the Interruption
When I was young, the thrill of Christmas wasn’t just about the gifts under the tree; it was about the experience. Each year, my mom, and sometimes my dad, would take me to see Santa at the local mall. We’d join the line of excited (and sometimes restless) kids, each of us rehearsing our requests as if we were about to meet a celebrity. And like clockwork, I’d climb onto Santa’s lap, sometimes forgetting the carefully practiced list I had in mind, ending up winging it and hoping he’d get the message.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and it was my turn to introduce my own kid to Santa. Her first visit? Let’s just say it didn’t go exactly as planned. We captured a classic ‘first Santa photo’—her screaming in horror while Santa tried to look jolly. But, as the years went by, she grew to look forward to these annual visits. Just like I had, she would practice her wish list, mentally preparing for her moment with the big guy in red.
Now, my kid is all grown up, off in college, and Christmas traditions look a little different. There’s no mall Santa to line up for, but I still make it a point to ask, “What do you want from Santa this year?” Some things never change—I still have my “direct line” to him. Of course, these days that line looks a lot like Amazon Prime, where I can add everything to the cart with a few clicks.
It’s funny how traditions evolve with time, yet the essence remains the same. Whether it’s standing in a crowded mall or browsing online from the comfort of home, Christmas will always be about those special moments and connections, no matter how much easier Santa’s job has become in the digital age.
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