Every year our city does a Santa food drive where Santa goes around to the neighborhoods in an old fire truck or sleigh, with carollers, and collects food & toys. Years go it started as just 1 Santa out 3 or 4 nights to cover the town. Now that our city has grown to 100,000, there are four Santa's per night making 10-12 stops for 10 days to cover all the stops. The city paints stars on the street for Santa stops and people come out by the hundreds. It is so much fun.

I have been doing the Santa thing for several years and I've gotta tell you, it doesn't matter how bah-humbug you are going into it, by the time you get the costume on and climb aboard the sleigh, you're in the spirit. And the kids are the best. From little bitty newborns to teenagers, all want to sit on Santa's lap and have their picture taken. I get hugged & kissed, get candy canes, cookies, letters, notes, etc. So many of the little ones look at you with these huge eyes and you are Santa for them. They truly believe - life is simple and wonderful for them at that moment.

And the requests. We get the usual plethora of Playstations, iTunes, cameras, bicycles, pony's & dolls. But every year there's at least one little urchin who looks at you with those huge trusting eyes and tells you they just want their Daddy home or their big brother home from Iraq for Christmas. Last night one little girl was there with her Dad in his military uniform. While he was proudly taking her picture, she whispered she didn't want anything more for Christmas this year because her Daddy was home safe. Folks, Ole Santy just about lost it. Fortunately the beard and hair covers pretty well because I doubt Ole Santa should be weeping and snottin' on all the little ones. Some people really get the true spirit of the season.

In addition to traveling Santa with the city, I also like to visit an Old Folks Home if I can. The first time I did that was two years ago and I try to do it as often as I can. That year happened to be my Mom's last Christmas and I'll always cherish the picture of her on my lap beaming proudly at 'her Santa'. This year my Aunt is 95 and she was as excited as the little ones. The old gals just beam and enjoy telling you how they misbehaved and pinch Ole Santa in places Santa shouldn't get pinched. I get relatives coming up to me for months telling me how much their folks enjoyed seeing Santa. Most of them hadn't sat on Santa's lap for 70 or 80 years. For several I've been their last Santa and so their kids and I have a little cry and a little smile and all is right with the world again.

I hope you all have an opportunity to spend some time this season with someone very young and someone very old. It's a blessing beyond any gift just to share their wonder at life. It's not always about the real estate (although I do get the occasional client out of the gig as a bonus). Good Karma. You always get back more than you give.