I had always thought it would be fun to have a Santa costume when my children were young, even though I hadn’t the faintest idea who I would get to wear it. My husband hates costumes of any kind so I knew that was out of the question, and I was pretty sure that the kids would recognize me behind the beard. So, years later, when my kids were grown, I found a Santa suit on sale and decided to buy it to surprise my young nieces and nephews on Christmas Eve. Midway through the Christmas Eve festivities, I sneaked next door to my house to get into the suit, and after struggling with the pants, coat, belt, and two pillows used for padding, I tackled the hair and beard. All this preparation took over thirty minutes, and I was in a hurry to get back before I was missed, so, bag over my shoulder, I practiced my “ho,ho,ho”, and tromped back through the snow. Opening the front door, I emitted a pretty good Santa greeting as I waited for their excited expressions. They glanced up briefly from their toys and continued playing, as the atmosphere hung heavy with an embarrassing, heavy silence. I still have the Santa Costume and I loan it out on occasion. From what I hear, it is a big hit everywhere else it goes.