Happy Hallo-Christmas!
Fun December 8th, 2007People like to make a lot of noise in our neighborhood. Here’s what happens a couple weeks before Christmas. Before the fire truck comes, we get 10 minutes of some guy on an ATV blaring sirens to announce Santa’s impending visit.
If you didn’t know this was the week for Santa, you’d be scared half to death that your house was on fire. The first guy’s sirens are as loud as any emergency vehicle and then the fire truck lays it on heavy as it rumbles down the street.
I don’t know who was more scared. Me from the noise, or Santa Claus after he got an eyeful of me. He greeted me on the porch while I was wearing no shoes, shorts with a hole in them, glasses, no make-up and my hair was soaking wet from the shower I just took.
I really hadn’t wanted to talk to him since I knew how frightening I looked in my Saturday morning costume. But he waved at me and I couldn’t just run away. He brought me an apple (???) and a candy cane. It was like reverse Trick-or-Treat, with me as the trick. Santa, please forgive me. I don’t normally look like that.
Stumble it!
December 8th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Kathy,
You might want to check out definition #13 at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trick. Then you might want to change the wording in your post. :0)
Tar Heel Ramblings
December 8th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Lee — I’ll trust my readers know I wasn’t giving Santa a present of any kind on my porch 🙂
December 9th, 2007 at 2:04 am
Like it would have killed you to have someone video tape you with Santa on your porch. Now I am only left to imagination, which tends to run wild.
December 9th, 2007 at 2:09 am
@ Jeff — Well, you oughtta be wincing in your imagination. It was really bad. I looked like I’d just fell out of bed. And is that any way to greet Santa Claus? I’m just glad I couldn’t see who it was under the hat and beard. Probably a neighbor of mine who will never talk to me again. I wouldn’t blame him.
December 9th, 2007 at 2:21 am
This is by far the weirdest Santa Claus parade I’ve ever seen!
December 9th, 2007 at 2:38 am
Santa is not judgemental….I know this from personal experience…I swiped his cookies when I was a kid and not once did he squeal on me….:):):)
December 9th, 2007 at 3:57 am
@ DrowseyMonkey — Weird indeed. And I never get used to it. Every year I’m always scared out of my head when the sirens start. The fire truck makes it bizarre. I could see if he were ON it and waved to the kids. But he just walks down the street handing out apples, with the truck trailing and wailing.
@ Robert — You’re right. Santa’s like that. I just hope when he resumes his non-Santa life, he doesn’t talk to his non-elf friends about the “slob lady out on her porch filming me.”
December 9th, 2007 at 10:24 am
That’s your voice, right, saying “Merry Christmas” at the end? You sound so completely frazzled and freaked out, Kathy. And I don’t even know what your normal speaking voice is.
I am impressed that you were able to get a camera out and document the craziness. I would be so freaked out I would be hiding under the couch in the basement.
I am one-quarter feline, however.
December 9th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
@ Cardiogirl — Well I had plenty of time to get the camera ready. The sirens were blaring for minutes before Santa arrived. But I didn’t have time to make myself more presentable. Which is probably why I sound that way. As he walked up the driveway, all I could think was “What must he be thinking?” If there had been kids outside on the other side of the street, I might have been able to avoid a one-on-one meeting. But once we made eye contact, there was no turning back. He was coming to see me.
December 9th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
That is seriously the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen! A Santa parade! I was waiting to hear you mutter, “Dang! He’s coming right at me” as Santa bore down on your frazzled self. I did enjoy hearing just a snippet of your less-than enthusiastic greeting.
December 9th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
I can’t get past the whole apple thing.
December 9th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
I”ve now gotten past the whole apple thing and now am onto
“…with me as the trick”.
One of the top 5 quotes ever.
December 9th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
@ Julia – I didn’t mutter it, but I thought it! Oh, please Santa, don’t come over here…
@ Margaret — The apple puzzled me as well. But a gift is a gift. I still have it, but will need to wash it VERY well first. I don’t know how many elves’ hands have been on it.
Tricky Kathy
December 10th, 2007 at 4:48 am
Wow, Santa does house calls over there? Here you have to PAY to be in the same room with him!
December 11th, 2007 at 2:30 am
Hey new bloggy friend – I just left you some bloggy bling. Come on over and get it!!!
December 11th, 2007 at 2:34 am
Call me paranoid, but I think Santa and his crew were burglars. With all the loud noise and Santa shenanigans, people were distracted. That left their homes completely vulnerable to burglary.
Santa’s one clever thief.
December 11th, 2007 at 4:25 am
(feeling surge of gratitude that my neighbor is content to leave it at saying hello or how’s the weather. your neighborhood sounds Way too demanding)
Alan
December 11th, 2007 at 11:43 am
@ Marie — I’m lucky that Santa comes around, but I wish I’d looked more presentable!
@ Margaret — I’m feelin’ the love! Thanks!
@ Kev — And the costume is a great coverup. There’s a lot of Santas running around these days.
@ Alan — Yeah, you can’t go around in a Santa get-up and handing out gifts. Freaks out all the neighbors who are used to just waving at each other. I didn’t sign up for talking and stuff when I moved here 🙂
December 11th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
You’ve been tagged for an easy meme, just a pic of your desktop. C’mon over to my site and check mine out.
December 11th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Hi Kathy,
I feel your pain regarding the Fireman Santa dropping by. In my neighborhood, the local Fire Department decorates many of their vehicles in Christmas lights and elaborate ornaments and then spend the night blaring their sirens and horns along the streets and blocks. As they pass, often at 10:00pm, the kids on the street stand along the sidewalk in pajamas with winter coats and hats on and the firemen, and one guy dressed as Santa, toss handfuls of candy canes from the passing trucks at the children. All of this is done at decibel levels reaching 100, and much of the candy is crushed under the tires of the emergency vehicles from which they came. I watched your lovely video and wished it was my town, so I won’t have to shiver my fat rear-end off in the frigid night air waiting for the volunteer Santa Claus who doubles by day as the counter guy at Blockbuster Video to pelt me and my little ones with peppermint candy. Merry Christmas. -Mike.
December 11th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
@ Windyridge — Thanks for the tag! I may not get to it very soon, as my site is under reconstruction. Been a horrible time.
@ Mike — Are you serious??!?!?! Wow. I feel lucky now. Very funny comment. I needed the laugh. Been quite a time moving to WordPress. More on that later.
December 12th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
How sute is that! Santa comes to my neighborhood too, but he doesnt get off the truck, he just wizzes by -and at night on Christmas Eve…he does through candy.
OhMYGOSH! DId I see snow. We dont know what the white stuff is here in the south. So jealous. Wish Santa brought snow our way.
Merry Christmas
Leigh @eneral Ramblings’s last blog post..Sweet & Sour Soup, Greek Soup, Avgolemono-no matter what you call it-it’s still good soup!
December 12th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Leigh — I would prefer to see Santa on the truck. It would be much more festive — or something. Seeing him stroll down the street with the truck just following him seems a bit odd to me. But hey, I got an apple and a candy cane out of it!
As for snow, I think we’re going to get wallopped soon. Like feet of snow, not just inches. Oh, the joy.
Merry Christmas to you too!
Kathy Frederick’s last blog post..Pardon My Appearance
December 13th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I’ll send you one of my “don’t bug me” T shirts to wear next time..:)
robert bourne’s last blog post..A Stranger Returns continued