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Merry Memory Making, One Fake Santa At A Time

An Old Hwy 61 blog and photos by Gail Gates

 “Christmas gift suggestions: to your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance.  To a friend, your heart.  To a customer, service.  To all, charity.  To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.”

~ Oren Arnold

The kids sit uneasily on Santa’s lap.  His white beard, too perfectly abundant and curly, with a suspicious amount of elastic curling around the ears, seems somehow wrong.  And completely right.  Santa’s “Ho Ho Ho” is only “so so so, and his eyes seem to cut to the wall clock frequently.

But still.

This is the moment to spill the secret yearnings. The moment to put dreams on the line and get the big guy to deliver on December 25^th.  The moment to whisper the heart’s deepest desires.

From somewhere a flash, a glimpse of Mom and Dad obscured behind their iPhones while wildly pantomiming to smile, and then…it’s over.  An elf escorts the kids off the red-suited lap and away.

A candy cane, a jillion photos, and no small amount of uncertainty linger.  Santa really exists, right?  He was just in a hundred different places at the same time.  He’s a magic man.

Hope and belief.  Memories and dreams.  Real and make-believe.  Christmas.  We all want it to be extraordinary.

Small town Christmas Enchantment

On December 2, 2017, small towns along Old Hwy. 61 will host a spectacular array of family-friendly events destined to be memory makers. From Santa visits, chili cook-offs, parades, tree lighting programs, art and craft boutiques, and more, there is something sure to please young and old all day long.

So charge up your cell phone, dress the kids (or your pets!) in way-too-cute outfits, and find your nostalgia in the making.

The best way to learn more about events in those communities that are hosting them is through the combined event calendar available right here on our website. Visit the Calendar Page here.

We’ll also be sharing event flyers for the communities hosting Santa Day activities through our Facebook Page.

And on my wish list?  Please share your newly recorded memories with us! Those of us who love Old Hwy 61 are always looking for ways to share the fun with each other!

P.S. Don’t forget to support the various unique and wonderful shops, cafes, vendors and artists on Small Business Saturday, November 25, 2017.

Dreams and beliefs. Sharing and caring.

Happy Holidays!