The Night Before Christmas

Tammie seems distracted in this photo, but then Santa looks a little stunned. In fact, he almost seems frozen in time. I don't remember visiting Santa Claus in that little building, but years later it was left discarded behind Camillus Plaza and I would always ask my mother to drive by it. I can just imagine how many young people met Santa for the first time there and the tiny house always fascinated me.

Christmas Eve is certainly not the same this year, but it does bring me back to very happy times and magical nights. I can remember the excitement that Tammie and I both shared and the times when my Dad would read "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Right before bedtime, we would put our stockings out in my parent's living room with the hopes that we would receive a visit that night. I remember thinking that Santa might not come, because we had this birdcage looking thing covering our chimney and we didn't have a fireplace for the stockings. Instead, we each had a favorite chair that we would place them on.

At some point, my mother would insist that we go to bed or Santa might not come and I can recall being so excited that it was very difficult to sleep. Somewhere around 5:00 AM, I would get up and go looking for my sister and parents. Usually, I had already sneaked into the living room and seen my stocking stuffed with my favorite candies. Man, I still can't lay off those miniature chocolate santas!

Also, I remember my sister telling me all about Santa Claus and how she had gotten up in the night one year and actually seen him with her own eyes. She was a very descriptive person and it seemed so real to me. Tonight, I had moments were I was as distracted as Tammie seemed in the picture. I was in the present, but my mind was off somewhere in the distant past. Thank you Tammie for those magical nights and for my wonderful memories.