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Santa's Five Suggestions Greetings from Santa's Friend! Several years ago Santa and I were having a little chat. He was most concerned. It seems a little child had become frightened and started to cry while waiting in line to see him. That was bad enough but what was even worse was some of the adults standing around were amused. I took some notes on what Santa thought about the situation and am passing them on to you in the hope that they will be helpful. After all Thanksgiving is just around the corner and Santa will soon be taking orders. These are his words quoted as closely as possible. -------------------O-------------------- "There are times when I think adults may have forgotten how it feels to be a little person in a big person's world. Over the years I have come up with a series of five suggestions for adults that, if observed, virtually guarantee that a visit with me will be very satisfying. Suggestion one: If at all possible don't carry the child when visiting me. Look at it from his point of view. There you are safely cradled in Dad's arms. You're looking down at a strange little man in a red suit with an amazing amount of snow white hair and a beard like nothing you've ever seen before. Then Dad sets you down. All of a sudden that funny little man has become enormous. He towers over you. It can be terrifying. On the other hand, if you were allowed to walk in on your own two feet there would be no shocking change. You would have time to get used to the fact that this unusual creature is actually very kindly and wants to be your friend. Suggestion two: Try to lead the child rather than push. A famous General once said: "You can pull a chain but you can't push it." Once again look at it from the child's point of view. That thing up ahead is Big. It's got lots of hair. It wears funny clothes. It could be dangerous. "What's this? They're pushing me toward it! No way! They just want to see if it hurts me before they give it a try." Alternatively if Mom and Dad walk up to Santa and shake his hand or hug him, their little one will be right behind them. Fear will never enter his mind. Suggestion three: Say very little! Santa is up there pouring out love, encouraging the child to come in to see him. But to the child, Santa's voice is strange. Can he be trusted? The child isn't quite sure. Then he hears the familiar voices of his parents, ones he associates with love, warmth, security. "Should I go up there? Nah. I'll go back to Mom and Dad. I know what to expect there." Suggestion four: What little you do say should be positive. I will never forget the day little Danny came to visit me. We were extremely busy. The line was incredibly long. So far Mom, a nice looking young lady who was obviously very compassionate and trying her best, had done everything perfectly. When Danny's turn came he was in no rush. He wanted to be sure that a visit with Santa was what he wanted. The mother, keenly aware of the long line behind them said: "Go ahead Danny. Santa won't bite." "Santa won't BITE?" " Who said anything about BITING?" "Now I've really got something to worry about." Eventually Danny came in, but it took a lot of time. It would have been so much better had Mom led off and said "Come on Danny. Santa loves you." Suggestion five: Try to not get down next to the child and above all don't pick him up. When you are standing there, watching a little child you love struggling with whether or not he should go up to see Santa, it is hard not to get down next to him in an attempt to support and encourage him. Unfortunately this is body language for "I'm going to pick you up." Obviously that is not your intent, or rather it shouldn't be. Once you crouch down it's all over. The chances of the child ending up on Santa's lap are slim at the very best. I urge people to heed my advice. It works. Face it. I first appeared in a store in 1890 up in Brockton, Mass. With one hundred ten years of experience I've developed quite a solid understanding of how little ones think." -------------------O-------------------- So there it is folks. That's what Santa said. See you next month! Santa's Friend Glenn
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