Each year, I help my father-in-law with his Christmas card and letter. He has me take a picture of him (and of his cat) and we create a card online. He’s straightforward about what he likes, so the experience is quick and painless. He then gives me a summary of the year — projects he’s undertaken, trips he’s taken, milestones met — and I write a short letter to friends and family on his behalf.
This year, he told me he didn’t want a photo of himself, or of Sophie the cat. He wanted a picture of a small Christmas ornament, a rather thin, worn Santa Claus figurine, maybe six inches tall, and a write-up about what that particular Santa means to him. He wanted to do a big mailing this year, to a large amount of the extended family; next year, he thinks he’ll scale way back.
Dad brought up the request when we were evacuated to his house in Rincon Valley, waiting in the cold, dark house for news about the fire here in Windsor. I of course agreed, and a week later, when we could come back up to see our home, I got the camera.
Without hesitation, Dad went into the other room and came out with a small shoebox, took the old-fashioned Santa out, and placed him on the mantle. We admired the longevity of the familiar decoration, and I did a little photo shoot of the wizened little elf with the red felt coat and the cottony beard.
It took a few more weeks (and a few more relocations) before we were finally home for good, but one of the first things I did was upload the photos for Dad. Dad loved the pictures we quickly settled on a simple card. He had hoped to include all his siblings’ names, but as the youngest of thirteen, that wasn’t going to fit on a card, no matter what font we chose. After some discussion, we finally decided to go minimally with, “Merry Christmas! 1919 – 2019.”
This is the write-up we will include in the cards:
On Christmas morning, 1919, the firstborn LeRoy baby awakened to see Santa on the tree. That baby was Jack, three days from his first birthday.
Over the next two decades, twelve more children were added to the family – Geri, Louise, Bob, Bill, George, Dick, Bernice, Myra, Bernie, Ken, Katie, and Jim – and all thirteen delighted in the annual reappearance of Santa gracing the tree. The years rolled by, with Christmases celebrated by the original LeRoy children, then their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and beyond.
2019 marks the 100th anniversary of that first Christmas, and Santa resides with the youngest LeRoy, now 81, as a gentle reminder that Santa – like love and happy memories – is alive and well.
May your Christmas be happy and bright, and full of the wonder of that first glimpse of Santa perched among the branches.
