Advent Calendar -Christmas Memories - Santa Claus

YIKES!  Could you love this face?

We  enjoyed our visits to the department store Santa Claus every year growing up in Los Angeles.  I think we would find him at the Broadway or May Company stores.  But it was when Santa came to our house Christmas Eve to pass out some presents that really was the best.  I don’t know why I wasn’t terrified by the Santa who came to our house, as you can tell by the photos, the mask was a bit scary.  I started getting suspicious of who that Santa really was when I noticed he wore the same type of dress shoes that my father wore, and that he even had an identical Masonic ring.  And where was my father every time Santa arrived???  The last time Santa came, my Uncle Wally Hague and his kids were visiting.  Uncle Wally said he had to run to the store and disappeared, then Santa arrived and this Santa sounded exactly like Uncle Wally.  But it was great fun, and the littlest kids were in awe.  And who could doubt any of it when you would get that special gift – from Santa!

 

 1946   I was only a year old, and maybe sleeping?  Santa was wearing Dad's robe.

1947

A great Christmas - Santa brought me a doll and baby buggy

 

1950 - Looks like Santa brought be something great in the box
 that he took from his bag (a mailbag).

 Yes, it was a doll, a "Toni" doll, I believe.  My favorite. 

On Christmas morning our routine was to get up early to see if Santa had returned to come down the chimney and fill our stockings that were hung on the mantel.  Before going to bed on Christmas Eve we would leave a tray with cookies and milk for Santa (always gone in the morning) and a carrot for Rudolph (a big bite removed).  

   At one point I remember asking my grandmother, Minnie Wallace Hague, if Santa Clause was real.  I remember she said, "His spirit is real and he lives in your heart" - I don't think I quite understood that answer, but I thought it was nice that she didn't say "No."