Santa’s watchful eye!

My wife and I came down with a cough and cold recently and I went to CVS Pharmacy to get something to help with the symptoms. I wasn’t sure what I wanted, so I was reading the back of the packages to see what would work best. I had been reading the back of one package, when I felt like someone was staring down the back of my neck, willing me to move.

I turned around to look. It wasn’t someone, but something. I looked back at a life-sized Santa Claus. He stood just short of 5 feet tall, had a red cap, black gloves, and carried a small sack. The only thing missing was his sleigh and 8 reindeer.

I imagined getting on the store intercom and shouting, “Hello Rudolph, Rudolph, a price check on Aisle 9!” As I stood there though, I felt a mix of excitement about Christmas, sarcasm at our crazy consumer culture, and, well, part fear.

Walking down memory lane

Let me explain. When I was a child, we had a life-sized Santa. I have no idea where my parents got him. We used to have old snapshots of my brothers and me with him, but I think they must be long gone. Our Santa smelled a little musty, but, hey, he was still Santa, you can’t get more cool than that. He was fat with stuffing and had a wide grin.

I was young in the pictures, I had to be just four or five years old; I barely remember him. However, I do remember waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, stumbling over Santa on the floor, and scarring myself silly. It was Christmas Eve meets The Exorcist or Halloween.

I figured out it was just the stuffed version of Santa, but I don’t think I ever got up again in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. At least, not until I was an adult. I didn’t want to come across someone scarier. Who knows who else I might run across? Monsters living underneath my bed? Ghosts and Goblins? The Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny?

Ho, ho, ho, and to all a good night

In the bright store, I got up close to the CVS Santa to give him the once over. He didn’t look so scary. He looked as if he might fall over with a stiff breeze. There were several of his brood positioned around the store.

I was going to reach out and flick his ear, but I thought I better of it, best not to tempt the fates. You know the lyrics, “He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.”

Yes, I must admit, my mischievous brain thought for a second about buying him to scare my oldest brother and sister-in-law. I could imagine setting Santa outside their front door, ringing the door bell repeatedly for thirty seconds, and then diving behind a bush as soon as one of them came to the door.

Yup, that would definitely get a rise out of my brother, but Santa cost a pricey $199. I took one last look and decided that the best spot for Santa was right where he was at, greeting customers with a smile and good cheer. C’mon Santa, that certainly deserves a spot on Santa’s Good List, right?

When I left a few minutes later, after I paid for my cough medicine, I swear I heard Santa cry out: “Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!”