Posts for category ‘Santa Rich’s 2010 Journal’

December 30, 2010

Back home Tuesday. A few more random thoughts before I put the suit up til next season.

Good news, and bad news: Good news, the house didn’t burn down. Bad news, Christmas Eve dryer fire, smoky in the laundry room; burnt sheets.

Good news from Katherine, my daughter: “Daddy, I finally know what to give you for Christmas!”

“Oh, what’s that?”

“A new dryer!”

“I already have a dryer.”

“Not exactly.”

Good news: Didn’t gain any weight during my stay in Durham

Bad news: Didn’t lose any weight in Durham.

Good news: Measurements did decrease from start to end of season.

After attending the Christmas eve service at the Eno River church, I spent the last night at the Hilton. Wanted to eat at the Ruth Chris Steak house using some gift cards I had acquired, but got there after kitchen closed. Oh well, next year maybe.

Amazed by a mother coming up to me as I was leaving the set, already in the process of packing up the camera, and assorted accessories…asking me (Remember, now, this is Christmas Eve.) “Will you be here tomorrow?” Talk about last minute planning! I kept wondering where these people were just before Thanksgiving when it was few and far between Santa visits. Had one mother exclaim, “But I thought the crowd would be gone this late in the season!” Wrong!

Violins, telescopes, keyboards, drums (I tried to steer toward electronic drums with headphones for parents’ sanity!)

And I got 5 more binkies this year!

Got snowbound from Christmas til the 27th with about 6 inches at the Russells’ home in Chapel Hill! ‘Twas a beautiful snowfall! And powder snow! Not the heavy sticky stuff we usually get. Everyone out in the frigid cold, and enjoying every minute of it! And me with no snow boots. No matter; garbage bags taped over New Balance shoes work fine!

Oh yeah, during my little down times, like driving, listened to Patricia Cromwell’s Blowfly on cassette. Also Read Jodi Picoult’s book, House Rules, and Noel Nelson, The Power of Appreciation in Business. Did a little carving of some starter Santas, but used the wrong size stick to start from, but got the main idea going. Now to use a chain saw on my dead tree in the back yard!

And Best news of all! I got a call from the Census again for another 8 weeks or so of work starting January 24th. Last year the 8 weeks stretched out for 7 months. Wish it may be so again this year!!

Thanks for your kind comments about my blogging (still can’t believe I am doing this). I hope you have enjoyed seeing a little through this Santa’s eyes from where I sit!

May 2011 be a most prosperous and joyful time for all!

2010 Blizzard at the Russell's

Here it is Thursday before Christmas Eve. Two days to go. Well actually a day and a half, since the mall closes at 6 tomorrow.

It has been an interesting and enjoyable time here at the Streets at Southpoint. The marketing person, Danielle, told me she had gotten lots of good words from customers through the customer service desk about this year’s Santa set. And had passed them on to Cherry Hill (which is the company I work for, bless her heart).

I know I make a big impression, but it takes a team effort to be able to pull this off. The crew has worked tirelessly to eek out a smile from the most reluctant, recalcitrant child. I am amazed how well we work together. Now it is as if we know just how we must proceed to get the best picture for that “Santa shot.” I have a bracelet of sleigh bells which I just fling at another worker coming at me, she takes and shakes the bells in front of that little baby, instantly getting its attention, even if just beginning to cry, and often that little window of confusion and awe, will give us a little smile; much to the delight of the parents watching the whole process. After all, it is not so much for the really young ones as it is for the parents. Maybe they see themselves on Santa’s lap when they were young!

When a child mentions that they want a Barbie or baby doll for Christmas, I often ask, “Does your mommy still have the Barbie/baby doll that Santa gave her when she was a little girl, just your age?” I get this light in the eyes of the little girls as they see a mother who might actually have been a child like she is. Sometimes the child will say yes, sometimes she just won’t know, and I say that maybe the dolls are up in Grandma’s attic, that “She will just have to ask!” to find out.

I have had quite a few children, (some facetiously) asking for world peace, or presents for all the world’s boys and girls, to which I respond by touching their chests saying that world peace starts there, in their own hearts.

Savannah for a girl’s name has just far and away been a popular name, with quite a few Emmas, Ellas, Sophies, and a few Sylvias (my mother’s name). Dylan, Peyton (ala Manning?), Aiden , Conner and Jackson for boys. Jackson seemed to be the popular boy’s name as Savannah was for the girl’s.

A photographer who had brought her family for Santa pic, came from Fayetteville just to see this Santa this year, having heard of Santa at the Streets last year. I asked one of our crew where Fayetteville was—an hour and a half away! Wow! She rolled in in a wheelchair, directing the family much like Nancy Wright would have done, with a flair for the dramatic!

This year no wet pants, or baby poop (knock on wood, so far!), though a dad, after plopping her darling treasure on my lap apologized that her child had an accident due to the 2 hour wait in line. But no leakage, just, er, um odoriferous emanations, so to speak! I told the dad for future reference that he could have told one of the crew, gotten out of line to tend to business and gotten back in line.
Hoping to go to the Christmas Eve Service at the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, since I get off at 6pm and the service is at 7:30. This congregation has welcomed me the last two seasons, and I am likening them to a drifting anchor. Not the anchor I have in UUCC, but one boaters use temporarily to more or less hold their position. Looking forward to my permanent anchor again!

I will be returning on the 27th or 28th after spending Christmas day and some of the next at the Russells’ home in Chapel Hill, where they graciously allowed me to participate in their Christmas activities, joined by Lita’s dad, my brother in law, Tom Wilson who has allowed me to come visit him in Mooresville, NC on my way to and from Durham.

I am so truly blessed. And may you be also during this magical Christmas time. See you soon!

Santa Rich Dwyer

December 16, 2010

Ice. The day started out as if the ice was going to delay Santa’s appearance at Southpoint til 11am, but NNNooooOOooOoo! This was overruled and my 10 o’clock time was reinstated. But not many came in since travel was still treacherous. I had trouble just walking from my hotel to my car in the parking lot! Had to take baby steps or would have ended up on my rear end! By afternoon the precipitation had changed over to just rain, so the mall started filling up. Like most weekdays we had steady but not overwhelming crowds of kids.

Fathers & heartbreaks. A little girl came up to see Santa and as she was getting ready to go, Santa told her to remember to give a big hug and a kiss to her mom and dad, every day, and tell them she loved them. This sweet child told me she didn’t have a daddy and that he had hurt her mommy and was no longer in the home. Hard to answer that, other than saying maybe someone would come into her mom’s life that could be more of a father to her than her biological dad. She was pretty matter-of-fact about it, but still broke this Santa’s heart. We often never know what goes on in the lives of the innocents.

Replacements. One of the security guys, Ray Kidder (no kidding!) has been wanting to be a Santa, if the mall would let him, but his company he works for won’t let him grow a seasonal Santa beard. He still said he would be happy to replace me if needed, say if I was sick, or otherwise couldn’t make it. But would need to use a designer beard.

And now that I think about it, he does daily inquire about my state of health. Hmmm?! Anyway, this afternoon, during my supper I got him to try on the red suit we use for the pet night and the designer beard that Cherry Hill provides for substitutes, and you’d think it was Christmas to him! He was so excited, saying “Wait til my grand kids see me!” I took a couple of shots for him and attached one. He walked into the security area, as “the replacement Santa” and no one recognized him to his absolute delight! Some of the other officers got their cell phones out and snapped pics as well. So the word will get out of the mystery Santa at the Streets of Southpoint!

So if you will, think of this from the perspective of you sitting on Santa’s Chair, looking out toward the rest of the mall at the Streets at Southpoint. 180 degrees of it. Looking to the left about fifty yards away is one of the entrances from the streets outdoor area where several other stores are located, like Barnes and Noble, Pottery Barn, Maggianos Little Italy, California Pizza, Bose and the like. As you come inside there is a jewelry store, Yankee Candle, Talbot’s stores, Time Warner Cable kiosks and other kiosks and stores coming toward your throne area.

Consider that the 9 o’clock view. The 3 o’clock view is the entrance on your right. At about 10 o’clock there is a customer service area, then you see the escalators going up and down around 11 o’clock. At 12 o’clock straightaway is another main thoroughfare with lots more stores, culminating at the end with Macy’s after passing Sears branching off to the left.

In Santa’s area is the red structure which hides the computer, printer, for the digital camera, the odd looking grey thing above that is the flash for the camera. It’s sort of like a cover over the flash itself to spread the light, I guess. The young lady at the deck is Sarah, one of the crew who “organizes” She like to take the “antlers” which are the brown thingees in the set to the immediate left and stack them according to what slot size they are; slot one for most little tykes and up to 8 for adults (Yes, adults will take and wear them as well!) The antlers also provide a coupon for a 5 dollar discount from Build a Bear, on of the shops straightaway and on the upper level.

This particular day was one of the earlier ones with not much traffic allowing me to take the photos, but those days are long gone! Now it’s back to back, wall to wall kids from the time I start til I leave on weekends! I think the word must be out from what rumors I have heard. Someone came in from Burlington, a good 45 minutes away, passing other malls with their own Santas to get here. Today’s waiting time if you were unfortunate enough to have shown up, say 30 minutes before I came in, would have been about 2 hours! It is kinda like when Best Buy has a new I Phone where people camp out to get the latest model. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a tent inside when we get close to the end of the season, if security would allow! But I digress…

Off to the right at 3 o’clock looking immediately to the left and about another 40 yards or so away, Nordstrom anchoring that end. This view is the entrance to Santa’s set, just as the left hand side is the exit. Today when I arrived the line had already formed three deep on the entrance side like a Six Flags ride, and the curled around behind the set all the way behind the huge Christmas tree and actually came to the exit area and slightly beyond that to the directory panel at about 9:45 o’clock. What is not in the photo is what is behind me: Hudson–Belk, and JC Penney’s anchoring that end with lots of little shops and stores, Fossil, Coach, Williams-Sonoma, etc. TSAS is1.3 million square feet, 170 shops and restaurants!

A story for all ages.

What is one thing parents struggle with often? Siblings “fussing and fighting”. When Santa gets a few minutes with two sisters, or brothers, or even both a brother and sister, we will try to get smiles for the camera. Santa has them parrot after him, “I love my brother(s)/sister(s)!!” Often just that expression will get either a giggle from both of them, or alternately, stony silence. Then, Santa tries to have a little private conversation with them, that goes something like this:

Santa: Do you know the secret about brothers/sisters?

Kids: A look of puzzlement.

Santa: Well, just think, you will have many friends in your life, and they will come and go. You probably have experienced that already; either they moved away, or maybe you did, right?

Kids: Nodding in agreement.

Santa: The secret is that your brother/sister is going to be your best of best friend forever, ofter your very best friend!

Kids: A look of yeah, sure….

Santa: Now I now that brothers/sisters can sometimes be a pain in the you-know-where, but someday when you get AS OLD YOUR MOM AND DAD! (Santa motions toward parents), why (looking at the older one) you will think nothing of calling up younger brother/sister and saying “ Look brother/sister, I have this problem I am dealing with and I would like you to give me your take on this.” Or, (looking at the younger) You might call up your brother/sister and say, “Why don’t you get your family to come over to our place tonight, with my family, and we will have a cookout together.” You will be able to do that because you have learned the secret: to love your brother/sister while you are growing up, to plant the seeds of a deep and abiding friendship as you get older!

And, (looking at both of them) I know this might be hard to believe right now, but this is true! So for now, remember to respect each other’s person, respect each others privacy, stay out of each other’s stuff, and you will be well on your way to being the best life-long friends ever!

Kids: Knowing looks from one to another.

Santa: Will you remember to do this?

Kids: “Yes, Santa.”

Kids want violins. No requests for these last year almost a dozen this year, and quite a few telescopes, pianos, and now, including Anabeth’s early request for a bow and arrows set, several of those as well!

Saturday and Sunday were wall to wall kids, all day long! And don’t get me started, pet night was Monday night. Contending with a brute of a 150 lb mix of something…whew!

Santa Rich

Because inquiring minds want to know…. 1000 year old eggs aren’t so…maybe only 100 days old! See link for more details: http://ask.yahoo.com/20011114.htm

Oldest: 92 years young. It’s a small world after all! This woman was the mother of a young man who graduated from my High School Alma Mater (McCallie) 2 years before I did!

Youngest: 7 days old baby!

Seems like Jackson is a popular name for a boy, with Peyton still holding strong. Heard a lot of Savannahs, some Sophias, Emmas, Evas, Rhiannas. No binkies turned in to me yet!

Here’s a panoramic shot taken from my room on the 6th floor (I’m really going up in the world, now…last year on I was the 4th floor!) This was taken early in the morning on Black Friday, just shy of 7am. This represents, maybe a third or less of the total parking area. The mall sprawls straightaway from this front view with parking on both sides behind the front buildings. Millions of square feet of shopping space!

I was told when I mentioned to someone that I was Santa here at the Streets at Southpoint Mall, that this was the premiere mall in the area. A hotshot position. Wow!

December 3rd, everyday the count keeps ratcheting up… Christmas is coming. Christmas is coming!

Some thoughts from the UU children’s sermon at ERUUF on Thanksgiving: The story we mostly heard when we were in school about the Puritans and the Indians gathering is only partly true. The original inhabitants of the (renamed by the Puritans) Plymouth colony had been decimated by cholera which previous explorers had brought with them from the old world, and for which the Wampanog Tribe had no resistance. The tribe had moved further inland out of their village, and when the Puritans came, they naturally thought that God had provided for them this ready made village, as well as the food (grown by the natives) nearby!

This 3 day feast after the harvest occurred about 1620. Apparently the Wampanog tribe and the Puritans had made a treaty to protect one another in case of attack. And while the Puritans were out on the drill field, exercising their arms (guns) the braves from the tribe, responding to what they thought was a threat came to the settlement.

Later discovering that this was a drill, and a feast was in the works, they brought the rest of their families, and the chief ordered some deer to be taken and brought for the festivities which was more like in early October, just after the harvest. Wampanog in the original language meant the people of the rising sun. Since they lived (before the Puritan’s arrival) on the east coast, seems only natural for the name! And another bit of more accuracy historically, the Puritans were ancestors to the Unitarians in the new world.

Santa Rich

Two large tables put end to end in the living room/dining room! 17 beautiful people present. Thanks was given all around. Again at

Old friends

On the menu: smoked turkey, oven baked turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, brussels sprouts, 1000–year–old–eggs (That’s what I was told, and yes, they did look different, and yes, I sampled…twice!) fresh spring mix salad, warm buttered rolls, apple and pumpkin pie. Yum, yum! And since you know I am on low carb diet, I guesstimated about 70 carbs for the day—not too bad considering the level of temptation present!

We had high school freshmen, juniors Anabeth, Aiden and Savannah, all about the same age 16–ish. Family and friends of the Russells’, some coming to the Thanksgiving feast for the first time and some “old timers.” After the meal we trekked off on a trail previously blazed by Chris and Anabeth, down to a small opening in the woods where, about 50 feet up in a pine was a tree stand. Several of the young ladies climbed the tree, one getting the attached photo from the high level throne!

A good time was had by all wandering around the woods! I noticed quite a bit of good sized chunks of quartz as we were walking, which made me wonder about the terrain. I had not seen so much quartz since my young days in New Hampshire. I understand from Chris that there were manmade piles of quartz around the property, maybe there was some speculation of gold in the area? He hasn’t been able to get much about the history of the property prior to late 1800′s.

Getting ready to go out for BLACK FRIDAY! Looking out my window, the parking lot, which is huge, is also full. At least I don’t have to go around hunting for a spot. Santa has his spot right next to my cubby hole of a closet. On we go!

And latest word, just got back, and as the parking lot was full, so was the mall! Wall to wall people scurrying around trying to get the “best deal” before somebody else gets it. And kids, whoah, they were back to back to back until late evening. Tomorrow I don’t expect to be much different either. The Cherry Hill Crew are settling in to an effective working unit now that we have sort of sped up from the earlier, quieter, less busy days.

I have also attached a better copy of the two girls who came back from last year. They seem to be on the same page this year.

Santa Rich Dwyer

It is late Tuesday evening the 23rd, and we have had some rain today, but not much.

Twin Responses

When I left last Saturday the 13th, I spent the weekend with my brother, David Dwyer and his wife Marilyn, getting to see their two sons, Nick and Ethan as well. Right off I tried to get brother Dave to turn down the TV, since my hearing is challenged with extra input, but quickly found that this was a solemn ritual, watching the Tennessee Volunteers finally womp up side the head of some other football team. Ray Solomon would have been proud! That evening we had a fire pit outside, and some friends came over and around a nice campfire, we started belting out all kinds of songs, with a little harp playing on the side. A number of the tunes were known to only my brother and myself, his friend remarked, enjoying the evening.

Monday I headed to Mooresville, NC and Tom Wilson, my late sister’s widower. Stopped by Asheville, NC and had lunch with Tim McKee, a former member of UUCC, now at the Asheville UU church. Seems I recall the last time I traveled to Tom’s home last year it rained as well. Once the weather cleared, we were able to take his pontoon boat out, not the sailboat we used last year, as there were whitecaps out on Lake Norman. Certainly enjoyed a relaxing few days with Tom before heading out for the last leg of the trip to Durham.

Back to Durham, NC. Got here Thursday to meet the new crew. Well, mostly new, had one returning member of last year’s crew, who in a former life was a HS cheerleader, which is definitely a plus for this type of work! She has a smile from ear to ear and energy bouncing back and forth coaxing a smile from the most reticent little ones. And it was nice to have a familiar face in the bunch. One is a licensed life-coach, with a master’s in psych, another a college grad with double major in religion/philosophy and film studies. Another a full time student single mom working towards a nursing degree, and that’s just who I have had a chance to talk to since Saturday, the first day of Santa at Southpoint.

One of the real pleasures of being a Santa is seeing those little ones grow up year by year. It was such a pleasure today to get a “repeat customer!” Last year I had what I thought were twins on my knee dressed identically in pink dresses and white fur lined cuffs and trim… Some of you have seen these two on my phone as I have shown them often. Well, this year the two came back, again dressed identically, but I found out that their ages were 6 and 4. Their reaction to this year’s Santa experience was much different!

That’s all for now. Hope to write again before thanksgiving.

Santa Rich Dwyer

P.S. Oh, yeah…I got a royal reception at the Hilton again. And in case you were wondering what was in the fridge? Why milk of course! What were you thinking?

Well, dear hearts, this is my first Santa epistle for the season. But it isn’t from me, for the most part! Back in April I got an email from Lita Russell, from the lovely family that I had Thanksgiving with and several fine Sunday suppers. In her email she described her “Santa Rich Story.” This is what she wrote:

I have a Santa Rich story that I have meant to send you since early January, so here goes: Anabeth and I were at Autozone for some reason or another, and we’re at the check-out counter waiting on the salesperson to retrieve a part of some kind.

All of a sudden, Anabeth starts pointing and saying,”Mom, I see Santa Rich.” I look in the direction of her pointed finger, and see a few people in another part of the store, but no one looks remotely like you.

“What are you talking about, Anabeth?” I say, “I don’t see Santa Rich.”

“Look Mom, it is Santa Rich.”

“What…I don’t see him.” And then…I get it. There, beside one of the cash registers, is a framed wallet size picture of Santa Rich holding a baby boy. I yelp in glee, and Anabeth says quite aloud, “There’s our Santa Rich!”

By this time, we have the attention of various salespeople, and the manager of the store who is the mother of the baby. Anabeth and I proceed to tell them all about how Santa Rich is our uncle and he came to our house for Thanksgiving and for dinner on Sunday nights. We got lots of oooh’s and ahhh’s and had a grand time in our 3 minutes of fame sharing our inside scoop on Santa’s helper!”

By the way, if you didn’t read Santa Rich’s Notes from last year, you can go here to catch up!

http://uuc.org/archives/category/santa-richs-2009-journal

One more thing for this edition of Santa Rich’s Journal: Many of you know of my involvement with SendOutCards, some of you have been even using the service. For this a great big THANK YOU! If you haven’t, then I will bring this up once here. If you send cards for Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, or other occasions, then please consider using www.sendoutcards.com/storefront/RichsCards. For 2.99, postage included, and no other obligation, no catch, you can send a card from the convenience of your PC or laptop… thousands to choose from! When you finish personalizing your card and click send, a real card gets printed, stuffed in an envelope, your return address on it, and stamped, and mailed for you! This is convenient, economical, saves gas and time. You may want to include gifts for additional cost. And this price happens to be the most expensive one for SendOutCards! Prices go down from there! I would appreciate your trying the system and seeing if it works for you. If it does, “Thank You,” and I appreciate your support. If it is not for you, thanks for trying anyway! End of commercial! But wait there’s more! the cards are made from recycled paper as well!

Until next time,

Santa Rich Dwyer

May the magic of Christmas keep the twinkle in your eye!
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