Eliza was always one of those curious types of children. She was always asking questions about everything she saw, heard, or any new thing that she would smell. So it was no big wonder that she was so curious about Santa Claus at the age of five.

With every ornament that she helped place on the Christmas tree, a question was asked as to where it was bought, how old was it, did someone special give it to us….the endless task of answering the questions took more time than to put up the tree. It was another learning experience in which she learned more about the different ethnic groups she came from. There was tinsel to hang, in which I had to obtain a small ladder for Eliza to use because she was (even at this early age), determined to do things her way. So up the ladder she would climb and I would watch as a delicate tiny hand would precisely place the tinsel on each branch never dropping a strand.

It was Christmas Eve and Eliza knew that she had to be in bed early. Why, well that’s because Santa Claus had many children to stop by and give a present to that all the children needed to be resting so they wouldn’t bother him. Because if Santa saw them then he wouldn’t want to leave, he would want to play games and eat a lot of cookies. Parents didn’t bother him; they were usually sound asleep snoring away. And if they did wake up and saw him they never wanted to talk or play any games.

It was really dark with a deadened quiet, and it was this quietness that woke Eliza. She quietly slid out of bed with not even a squeak from the bed so as not to awaken her brothers. She wanted to see all the presents first…to take in all the magic that Santa had left before her idiot brothers got up and ravaged the packages. She cherished the silence of the early morning hours. Eliza’s eyes adjusted quickly to the darkened room and she was able to make her way safely and quietly to the living room on tippy toe. Woe is me! What…..no presents. Eliza began to cry, sobbing so loudly that her parents came running into the living room. Immediately they took her into their arms and asked what she was doing out of bed. Eliza explained that she thought that Santa had already come and she wanted to see her presents, but she must have been really bad because there were no presents. Her parents hugged her and informed her that Santa did not come yet. "Why, we just got to bed Eliza, surely he saw our light on and will be by later. Let’s all go to bed so Santa can do his job." After wiping Eliza’s tears her parents tucked her into bed and they themselves retired once again.

2.

Eliza believed that she had slept until morning, but gee it was still dark out side. Once again she made her trip to the living room. Just before entering the living room she heard a rustling sound…Hhmmmmmm, paper crumpling? Peeking her little curled head into the room she heard…." Uhhh." Here he was, as real as could be, staring into her eyes. She noticed that they were sparkling blue just like the pictures and stories too. He was pretty fat with the whitest of beards. Eliza reached out to touch him to make sure he was real, but before she could move her arm close enough to him he pulled on his belt to adjust his pants and ran out the front door as fast as he could.

Her parents hearing some type of commotion ran to the living room to observe their daughter standing in the middle of the room staring at the front door.

"Eliza, what’s going on?"

"I, I just saw Santa Claus! He left!" Eliza said smiling.

"Why are smiling?" asked her parents.

"Look, he left me a big buggy!"

"Well where are the other toys?" questioned her parents.

"Oh! I don’t know. I saw Santa and he left me something." Smiling and dazed with excitement Eliza went over to touch the buggy. It was so nice, and just like Mommy’s.

"Come Eliza we have to go back to bed. Santa needs to come back to leave presents for your brothers as well. Come on now!"

Eliza’s parents walked her slowly back to bed for the second time that night, now listening to their daughter mumble the whole way, "I got to see Santa and he left me a buggy!" She slept until the sun was shinning brightly in her eyes and had dreamt of her new big buggy.

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© HCD