SO Santa traditions: What is your most memorable Santa story?

[mbbored]

This one is a little bittersweet.

When I was 5, my father was diagnosed with incurable cancer. That Christmas, one of my dad's coworkers surprised the whole family, even my parents, on Christmas Eve when he knocked on the front door in a Santa suit with a sack filled with presents. The next Christmas when my father was in the hospital, he came and found us with the family friends we were staying with. He came every year of my childhood, even after my father passed away, bearing presents for my siblings and I from all of my dad's coworkers. He didn't stop until we were all teenagers, 6 years after my father's death. He and my dad weren't even close friends, he just had kids the same age as my sibs and I and wanted to do something.

[Redwing]

This one is a little bittersweet.

When I was 5, my father was diagnosed with incurable cancer. That Christmas, one of my dad's coworkers surprised the whole family, even my parents, on Christmas Eve when he knocked on the front door in a Santa suit with a sack filled with presents. The next Christmas when my father was in the hospital, he came and found us with the family friends we were staying with. He came every year of my childhood, even after my father passed away, bearing presents for my siblings and I from all of my dad's coworkers. He didn't stop until we were all teenagers, 6 years after my father's death. He and my dad weren't even close friends, he just had kids the same age as my sibs and I and wanted to do something.

What a wonderful story!  Made me a little misty-eyed.

[SamiHami]

This one is a little bittersweet.

When I was 5, my father was diagnosed with incurable cancer. That Christmas, one of my dad's coworkers surprised the whole family, even my parents, on Christmas Eve when he knocked on the front door in a Santa suit with a sack filled with presents. The next Christmas when my father was in the hospital, he came and found us with the family friends we were staying with. He came every year of my childhood, even after my father passed away, bearing presents for my siblings and I from all of my dad's coworkers. He didn't stop until we were all teenagers, 6 years after my father's death. He and my dad weren't even close friends, he just had kids the same age as my sibs and I and wanted to do something.

I hope there is a special place in heaven for someone with such a big heart. He really understood the true meaning of Christmas.

[Outdoor Girl]

There seems to be something in my eye...

What an incredibly sweet man.

[nutraxfornerves]

When I was about 5, my mother took me with her to a business trip in another city in December. It was a Mommy and Me trip. I got to fly on a plane for the first time, and during the day, I stayed with one of my mother's friends who had about 8 kids, which was a lot of fun.

One evening, we had dinner with several of Mom's coworkers, then we all got on the hotel elevator to get to our rooms. The elevator stopped and Santa got on. Santa! I couldn't believe it. And I was the only kid, so I had him all to myself. For years afterwards, my Mom's friends & coworkers would mention it with a big smile.

It wasn't until I was an adult that Mom told me the whole story. "Santa" had been at an adult party. He was clearly drunk as a skunk.  But he managed to pull himself together and properly listen to a little girl with starry eyes.

[Yvaine]

When I was about 5, my mother took me with her to a business trip in another city in December. It was a Mommy and Me trip. I got to fly on a plane for the first time, and during the day, I stayed with one of my mother's friends who had about 8 kids, which was a lot of fun.

One evening, we had dinner with several of Mom's coworkers, then we all got on the hotel elevator to get to our rooms. The elevator stopped and Santa got on. Santa! I couldn't believe it. And I was the only kid, so I had him all to myself. For years afterwards, my Mom's friends & coworkers would mention it with a big smile.

It wasn't until I was an adult that Mom told me the whole story. "Santa" had been at an adult party. He was clearly drunk as a skunk.  But he managed to pull himself together and properly listen to a little girl with starry eyes.

Awww!  I bet he had no trouble with the rosy cheeks and nose like a cherry part.

[Bexx27]

I might have posted this before. When I was 8, my cousin was 5, and my brother was 4, my aunt and uncle (cousin's parents) invited my brother and me to sleep over at their house on Christmas Eve. My uncle planned to surprise us by dressing up as Santa and getting up on the roof. It did not go as planned. My brother came down with a stomach virus and was up every half hour vomiting. He was also distressed and crying for his mommy. My aunt tried to wake us up and take us outside to investigate the jingle bells and stomping noises on the roof, but my cousin and I absolutely refused to get out of bed (I think she was scared and I was stubborn and knew it was only my uncle anyway  ). The next morning my parents opened the door to see my disgruntled and sleep-deprived aunt and uncle shoving us inside with a rather abrupt, "here are your children!"

[Hmmmmm]

This is my dad:



One year, when I was 15 and my youngest sister was 2, my father had to be out of town for most of December.  He was planning on getting back into town in the wee hours of Christmas day.  My sister was getting upset because Daddy wasn't home and was worried that he wouldn't make it back in time.  My other sisters and I (19 and 12) convinced the little one that Daddy was really Santa Claus and the reason why he wasn't there was because he was busy at the North Pole getting everything ready for the rest of the kids, but he would be home when she woke up on Christmas morning.

Yeah, we were kind of mean, but with a dad that looks like that, can you blame us?   

With a dad that looks like that, you almost have /me/ convinced that the story was true!

Actually... are you /quite/ sure you didn't inadvertantly hit the nail on the head? Maybe he is really Santa Claus and you just don't know it! 

I agree.  I think you just busted who Santa really is.  So how does little sis feel about the story now? 

[mmswm]

Little sis thinks it's hysterical now, though she did plot to try to pull the same trick on my kids and my other sisters' kids when they were young enough to fall for it.  Fair enough.

[Girlie]

Every year when I was growing up, my elementary school participated in a "Letters to Santa" program that ended up with as many of the letters as possible published in the local newspaper. In my preschool class, I wrote (with help):

"Dear Santa,
All I want is a baby brother. Please bring me a baby brother.
Amen."

Guess who got a baby brother nine months later? 

[amylouky]

The Christmas that I was 6.. Mom was at home heavily pregnant with my little sis (who was born Dec. 29). Dad decided we should go caroling around the neighborhood. Well, I saw an airplane up in the sky with its red blinking light, and was convinced Santa was on his way.
I panicked and RAN home (only about six houses down, really) because I thought Santa would skip our house if we weren't in bed. Only trouble is, I forgot to tell anyone I was leaving.. luckily Mom was at home. Of course, she couldn't take me back out to them and this was pre-cell phones, so Dad wasn't too happy when he finally made it back home.

[KenveeB]

When I was about 6, we were going to spend Christmas in another state visiting my aunt and uncle. A few days before we were scheduled to leave, my dad took us out driving around to look at Christmas lights. Mom had a headache and stayed home to take a nap. When we got home, oh my goodness, Santa had come! There were presents and stockings and everything, just like Christmas morning. And he helpfully left a typewritten note explaining that he knew we were going to be traveling for Christmas and wouldn't be able to bring our gifts home, so he came early to help us out. (Mom mentioned that she thought she'd heard the sound of the typewriter when she was asleep.) On Christmas morning at my aunt's house, we got one or two small gifts that could be easily taken home.

[Nikko-chan]

Not really a santa story, but a christmas story. It was on Christmas eve, I remember that much. Mom had set up my bed in the living room for some reason or another (most likely so she could sleep on the couch and watch over me), and I was ill with a really bad cold. I had to prop myself up with pillows and everything. I remember being worried I wouldn't be able to sleep because of my cold, and that Santa wouldn't come.

I.... promptly fell asleep. Yes 'Santa' did come that year

Another story I remember was when I was like... eleven. I really didn't believe, I just kinda pretended for mom's sake. Mom and I were at Grandma's on Christmas Eve, because we alternated staying there between mom, and her sisters until we got Grandma moved into our apartment.  We were both still awake and watching CSI (I remember because it had just come out and we were OBSESSED)  and mom goes upstairs, and comes down with presents in her arms.

"See! I told you Santa wasn't real!" I hissed.

"Shut up and lay down," she muttered back.

She makes a few more trips all the while hissing at me to 'lay down' and I am just grinning like a loon, trying not to laugh, because I don't want to wake my grandmother.
Best christmas ever.

[Jelaza]

Years ago, when my oldest nephew was about 2 (he was already walking pretty well, but still wearing diapers), we were at my sister's house at Christmas.  He was wearing just a diaper, and someone stuck a Santa hat on him.  Suddenly, he comes walking into the living room, dragging a jumbo package of his diapers, which was opened and about halfway empty.

Someone said to take a look that Santa (nephew's name) was here.  And my nephew starting pulling out diapers and handing them out one by one to the people in the room.

[mbbored]

This one is a little bittersweet.

When I was 5, my father was diagnosed with incurable cancer. That Christmas, one of my dad's coworkers surprised the whole family, even my parents, on Christmas Eve when he knocked on the front door in a Santa suit with a sack filled with presents. The next Christmas when my father was in the hospital, he came and found us with the family friends we were staying with. He came every year of my childhood, even after my father passed away, bearing presents for my siblings and I from all of my dad's coworkers. He didn't stop until we were all teenagers, 6 years after my father's death. He and my dad weren't even close friends, he just had kids the same age as my sibs and I and wanted to do something.

I hope there is a special place in heaven for someone with such a big heart. He really understood the true meaning of Christmas.

Exactly. How can a person not believe in Santa when such generosity exists?