Friday, August 16, 2013

But, What Will Santa Do?

This weekend, the Trifextra challenge is getting us to wax philosophically about the changing of the seasons, as reflected in the photo below.











 





Well, living in Canada, as I do, the changing of the seasons is a very distinct process and, as a result, I have grown up with closets, basements and garages jammed full of seasonal items that get used during one season only and then are stored for months on end until they are needed again.  For example, we have regular tires for our cars and snow tires for the winter.  We have garden shovels for the planting seasons and snow shovels for the winter.  I have boots for winter, running shoes for spring/autumn and sandals for summer.  On and on it goes.      I can't imagine living somewhere where the weather is constant throughout the year.  As day follows night, the passing of each distinct seasons helps regulate our lives and, as such, is an essential and engrained part of who we are and how we live.....especially in my Canada.

The story told below stems from the tendency for children to believe that the experiences they have are universal and that the stories/myths they learn apply everywhere.   Please enjoy.



But, What Will Santa Do?

Sarah modelled her new winter boots;

"Ready for Christmas at Disneyland!"

Her mother smiled, "Try flipflops instead."

"But,......the snow?"

"No snow, Sweetheart.  It's always sunny in California."

"But,..........what will Santa do?"







60 comments:

  1. So perfectly written in child like wonder:)

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    1. Not hard to do when you have a child-like mind like I do. :) Thanks for your gracious comment. I appreciate it.

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  2. This made me smile. We had the Santa conversation with our boys because we never had a chimney - how would Santa get in? Since we didn't need fireplace heat in the desert, we told them Santa had a master set of keys that fit all the houses.

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    1. We have no chimney, either. We actually hang a shiny, silver key from our front door knob on Christmas Eve. That's how Santa gets into our house. :)

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  3. nice...my girls are bordering on the realities of "knowing" about Santa, you know, the reality.

    This sunny, happy, innocent peek was nice.

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    1. As much as I fill with angst over the tale we tell our children at this time of year.......why can't it all just be about expressing our love for those we care about most, why involve the jolly fat man?...............as much as I struggle with this, at times, I am sooooo grateful that my girls are still innocent enough to believe in the magic of it all. Good to hear from you, Lance. Thanks for your comments, Dad. :)

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  4. Very cute! Santa wears flip-flops in Ca. !

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    1. WhereI come from, we get legitimately bummed out if we have a green Christmas. Can't imagine wearing flipflops and doing the beach on Christmas Day. :)

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  5. What a cute kid. I enjoyed this one.

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    1. From the mind of a cute guy, what can I tell ya! :) But seriously, I appreciate you taking the time to read my work and offer a comment. Thanks.

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  6. So incredibly sweet, Tom! I'm glad I stopped by for the smile!!!

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    1. Last weekend, it was erotica. This weekend, kids and Santa. Glad that you liked them both. :)

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  7. Yes indeed what does Santa do, lovely. Children always see the big picture.

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    1. Hard to drive that sleigh over grass and sand. Also, that suit might make him feel a tad warm, don't you think.? Thanks for popping by. I appreciate your comments. :)

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  8. Cute and refreshing entry. Made me smile :)

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    1. Thank you. I figured that there would be a bevy of heavy, weighty philosophical takes on the prompt, so................you have a child wondering how Santa can drive his sleigh when there isn't any snow. Glad my post was the pause that refreshes. :)

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  9. I love the mind of a child.
    Very nice, light take on the prompt. Just what the bosses ordered! Good job.

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    1. Well, I couldn't very well do the porn scene I did last weekend now, could I? :) I love the minds of children, too. Thanks for taking the time to comment, Alicia.

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  10. Al Gore tells his kids it's good practice for Santa in global warming! ;)
    (OK, boo, hiss.) Our seasons have been very "off" for us this year. I'm getting ready to go to a football jamboree in which our usual weather is (uncharacteristically for football gear) about 100 degrees right now. Instead, it actually feels like football-ish fall out there.

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    1. Whenever my 82 year old mother talks about the unpredictability of our weather, she always responds with the line that, "someone is shooting off atomic weapons again!" She is a Cold War girl so, she is convinced the atmosphere is severely screwed up. It has felt Fall-like here for a few weeks, too. Not complaining though......not a fan of the hot, hazy, humid weather. This all feels very comfortable to me.

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  11. Tom, my own little girl used to worry how Santa would get in when we lived in a house with no chimney. I made a pretend fireplace mantle out of a shelf, and that worked for her! :)

    I love that kids allow themselves to have these times of wonder in their lives-I wish as an adult I could recapture those moments myself:)

    This was the sweetest 33 words ever:)

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  12. Not sure if these are the sweetest 33 words ever but, I will certainly humbly express my appreciation for this comment. Too bad we couldn't bottle the magic of such moments of childhood innocence. :)

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  13. that was cute. and, i must say, quite a good question. haha

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    1. Thanks, Renada. Glad it brought a smile to your face. :)

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  14. Oh my..does Santa own flip-flops? Cute story !
    Cobourg is a lovely area ( I have family in Grafton).

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    1. Santa owns everything!!!!! :) Thanks for the Cobourg shout-out! Grafton is a lovely little village, too. I love the book/art store there, as well as, the Grafton Village Inn for lunch. My wife and I had a $100.00 lunch there one time; its just that kind of place. Thanks for stopping by and saying hello.

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  15. Love the childhood wonder and innocence in this! It made me smile. My children are out of that stage, but--for all of our sakes--we still pretend (even to the point of putting out cookies and milk). :)

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    1. Coming from someone who fell in love with a giant.....I am not surprised at all that you still leave milk and cookies out for the jolly fat man. :) Thanks for stopping by, Ivy.

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  16. A far cry from illicit oral sex, isn't it?! :) The magic of childhood is always so very special. Too bad it doesn't last forever.

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  17. Excellent job capturing the way a child's mind works – especially at Christmas! Green Christmases are disconcerting (though I could happily live with only one month of winter). I love how versatile your writing is Tom.

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    1. Thank you, Suzanne. I am in agreement about only having one month of winter. That would be great.

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  18. Hahaha! I have a feeling this is a true utterance of a little one in your household? And oh I love it!

    I used to live in Washington state but moved to California many years ago so I can relate (though the memories are fading) to the change of seasonal equipment. When I first moved to California I thought there weren't any seasons, but the longer I stayed, the more the season began to show themselves. They are much more subtle, but still there. I don't think I'd want to live in Hawaii though. I couldn't stand the monotony, even if it is beautiful monotony.

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    1. There are no "Sarahs" in my household. But, there have been many conversations, on a wide range of topics, where the reaction to my answer was incredulity, along the lines of what was stated in my story. Glad that you liked the story. Thanks for your thoughtful comments.

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  19. A nice smile of a story there...

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    1. Glad it tickled your fancy, Pirate. Always nice to have our fancies tickled, eh?! :)

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  20. Lovely take on the prompt.

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    1. I appreciate your comment very much, Lena. Thank you for stopping by. :)

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  21. Aaas, how cute! I really liked this approach :)

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    1. Thank you for your kind words, Freya. My niece's name is Freja. She feels she is very unique because of her name. Now I can tell her that I know a Freya, too. :)

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  22. Santa is nothing if not adaptable! I love how you put me right there in the moment--it was like I was in the room with them.

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    1. Parents of young children should all have baskets full of stories such as this. I always love when either of my girls react with eyes wide like Sarah did in my story. Thanks for taking the time, Tina, to leave such a lovely comment. It is appreciated. :)

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  23. The weather is like that here in Pennsylvania. I bet Santa vacations in California when no one is looking. I know I'd look for an escape if I was snow-bound in a factory with elves.

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  24. Leave it to kids to ask the tough questions! Love this piece, Tom. Thank you for linking up. Please remember to come back and vote!

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  25. This is very sweet. As a Californian, I can attest to the fact that we actually do have seasons, however they are only perceived by those of us who live here. ;)

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    1. Have you ever had snow? :) I googled the question, "Does it ever snow in California?" before writing this piece. To a person, everyone said, "No." The only exceptions were a couple of folks who said that it snowed once in the 70s or something like that. So.....have you ever had snow?

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  26. Clever, funny and nostalgic. Perfect for a Sunday read.
    Nice job!

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  27. I can totally relate to the weirdness of having a sunny warm christmas...

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    1. I prefer a nice, moderate, temperate climate every day of the year...except for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Those times it should be a white winter wonderland, with the snow flakes gently falling and carollers singing and family gathered around the Tree. There! :) Thanks for stopping by, Bjorn. I appreciate your comments.

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  28. *giggle* So sweet! I love the naivete in Sarah's voice.

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  29. I remember wondering about that when I was a kid (we had mostly snow, but often not on Xmas). But I didn't wonder too long (not to jinx anything...).
    Sweet story that brought me back. I grew up a seasonal New Englander, but I have gotten quite used to mild, Mediterranean Christmases!

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    1. I'll bet you gotten used to your warmer Christmas times! :) Thanks for taking the time to leave me such a nice comment.

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  30. You have captured the child's voice wonderfully. If only you had more words to continue the conversation. :)

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    1. Thank you Sarah, for your kind words. I always wish I had more words during those Trifextra challenges. :)

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  31. Thank you, Jo-Anne! You are a sweetheart, for sure! :)

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