The Christmas my Dad blew my mind...

There used to be a store in Kenosha called Wilson's Variety Store and variety was the operative word! You could get anything in Wilson's! Laundry detergent, hardware, new lamps, mops, buckets, clothing, toys, food - you name it, they had it. They even had small pets in the back and a Myna bird that flirted with the ladies. It was one of those places that if my Dad said, "I'm going to Wilson's!" I would beg and plead to go with him every time.

At Christmas, Wilson's was like something out of a kid's greatest dream. Just as you entered, to the left, they set up shelves full of toys that went up to the ceiling. On the other side they had aisles of ornaments, wreaths, ribbon, wrapping paper and anything else you might need to deck the halls. So it was no wonder when that one wintry day just before Christmas I was begging my Dad to take me with him. We were putting up our tree and discovered that the star we used to use year after year no longer lit up. It had reached the point of no return and it was time to go purchase something new to top the Kelleher leaning greenery. Off to Wilson's! Hurrah!

Now, my Dad was what you might call a "slow" man. By this I mean, he ran on his own time and activities that took anyone else a half hour to compete could take my Dad a couple of hours. He called it being thorough. This annoying habit gained him the nickname "Father Time" from my Mom. His lolly gagging drove her crazy! But, at Wilson's, with my Dad, I didn't care if it took all day! Especially at Christmas time!

When we entered the store I immediately asked if I could go look at the toys. My Dad, being the nice guy he was, naturally allowed me to wander through the toy aisles and look at everything. There were games and puzzles and cool paint sets. But the best aisle of all was the Doll aisle. It was an entire line of shelves that was devoted to nothing but dolls of all kinds. There were the new Barbies and those dolls that were called Flatsies that were insanely popular back then. All of Barbie's friends were there too. And then there were the baby dolls - big, little, boys, girls, infants, toddlers - some cried when you turned them over, some drank from a baby bottle, some even wet in their diapers. I was in awe. But then I saw her. At the end of the aisle, there was a doll that was almost as tall as me. Her hair was a golden blond and she was wearing a paisley dress and patent leather shoes with little white socks. Her name was Kathy. And her talent was that if you held her by one hand and walked somehow she would walk right next to you. It was amazing because she didn't have batteries, no off/on switches, no remote control - just walked with the natural motion of you walking next to her holding her hand. Oh, how I wanted her!!

I ran back to the Christmas aisle where my Dad was looking at each and every kind of tree topper. I nonchalantly asked him if he had found one yet. He hadn't so I started looking at them too. He was looking at stars but there was a row of beautiful angels that caught my eye. I picked one up. She was golden and white and held two tiny lights in each hand like they were candles. I showed my Dad and told him that this was the best one. He agreed and put her in our cart. We headed for the check out and he asked me if I had seen anything good in the toy section! Are you kidding me? He never asked me stuff like that! I told him all about the doll that walked, how pretty she was, how tall she was and how badly I wanted her. I showed him the big box she came in and held her out in front of me hopeful that he would put her in our cart. He didn't. Instead, he said, "Well, she is pretty but we're  just here to get the tree topper." Reluctantly, I put her back on the shelf. My Dad, sensing my disappointment said, "Well, maybe I have enough money to get some popcorn on the way out."

Now, Wilson's fresh popped popcorn was the best popcorn in town and they sold it in long paper sleeves. It was always warm, salty and buttery and normally I would jump at the chance but in my disappointment all I could muster was a weak, "Okay..."

Back at home, I tried to be sullen and sulky and bad tempered but it was the Christmas season and we were decorating our tree and I just couldn't contain the inner excitement for very long. Pretty soon I was humming carols and helping put ornaments on the tree. My Dad placed our new angel on the tree and plugged it all in. She was gorgeous. She lit up and the gold thread in her gown shined in the light. Every night after that, when it was dark enough inside and out, we would light that tree and I would lie on the floor just dreaming in the glow. By Christmas Eve, Kathy the walking doll was a distant memory. That night there were so many presents under the tree it was impossible to feel sad! We ate and sang and started opening and I got so many amazing things! After Midnight Mass, I crawled into bed, exhausted from the fun, food, and festivities and fell into a deep, comfy sleep.

The next morning my Mom woke me up and said that Santa had come. Under our tree, there were more presents. Santa never wrapped his presents. That's how you knew for sure they were from Santa. Our stockings were set on the small pile of Santa gifts and we were allowed to just "dig in". Christmas morning did not have the formalities of the previous night. We ate the candy from the stockings even though it was 8AM and played with everything under the tree. Finally, my Mom would insist that we at least get dressed so off to our rooms to change from our PJ's we went. I walked into my room and right there, lying on my bed, was Kathy!! Somehow, that doll not only made it to  my house but made her way into my bedroom! It was Santa! I was sure of it. She wasn't wrapped and that made it so. I grabbed her and ran out to my Dad yelling, "Dad! Dad! Santa heard me!!"

My Dad just smiled. It wasn't until a few years later I realized that Santa and my Dad were one and the same. At least that year they were. I believe in Santa. And I believe that Santa is whoever carried the joy of Christmas in their heart and surprises children with those things they love so well.