Familiar Face Spices Up Church Sale
Santa was in a folksy mood Saturday morning at the St. Thomas Holiday Bazaar.
Asked how he was doing, jolly old St. Nick smiled and answered, “Not too miserable.”
In addition to the white hair and flowing beard, he had on his usual uniform - red and white suit, spectacles and black boots.
“Well, how the heck are ya, long time no see,” he said to a little boy who wasn’t sure if he should smile or scream.
Santa forked over a candy cane. “See you later, pardner,” he said.
The jolly old elf was situated at the end of a hallway near the top of a stairwell in the Coeur d’Alene church’s education annex. He sat in a bluish-gray upholstered chair next to a plastic Christmas tree.
“Ho, ho, ho - merry Christmas,” he belted out during a lull.
The old boy’s still got it.
He confided to his assistants - a couple of girls who would take your picture with him for $3 - that he had meant to bring his radio.
“Is that my lunch?” he asked a woman carrying a plate of cookies.
“No, Santa,” she explained. “These aren’t for you.”
“Well, don’t go away mad,” he said.
A few minutes later, a woman came up the stairs and seemed lost. So Santa pointed to the ladies room. “In there,” he said.
“What?” she replied.
“In there,” he repeated.
She looked at the restroom door. “Oh, that’s not what I’m looking for, but thank you.”
Once in a while, Santa rang bells that probably could be heard at the North Pole. “Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the waaaaaaaay,” he sang.
A toddler approached and looked with wide eyes at the famous sleigh-driver. “Can you sing a song?” Santa asked.
And the kid immediately launched into a spirited rendition of a tune that may or may not have been in English.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Santa said to another little one. “Are you scared of Santa?” The little girl nodded “yes.”
Out came another candy cane.
“Ho, ho, ho and all that good stuff,” he called out.
After a picture session with one family, Santa asked a sixtysomething man how he was doing.
“Not as good as you are,” the man said. “Women all over your lap.”
“Yeah,” said Santa. “You can’t beat that any day of the week. Hope Mrs. Claus doesn’t find out.”
Ho, ho, ho.
, DataTimes MEMO: Being There is a weekly feature that visits gatherings in the Inland Northwest.