In Memory of Daddy

Our Daddy was strong and fearless
Stood up for the poor man’s cause
And though we never did understand it
He was afraid of Santa Claus

A poor hard-working, humble man
Nothing could make him back down
Until just before dark on Christmas Eve
When that jolly Old Man came to town

We kids looked forward to seeing him
But Daddy always refused to be there
He’d make an excuse to leave the house
And head out walking in the bitter, cold air

Ten minutes or so after Daddy left
We’d be huddled in Mother’s embrace
When, all of a sudden, there was a scraping sound
And a “Ho, ho, ho” from the other fireplace

The blow George shook and rattled like heck
As the fire screen hit the hearthstone
From the fireplace in the bedroom
By the candle glow, Santa’s face shone

He was dressed as in all the story books
We had read about through the years
A bearded, fat man dressed in a red suit
Who quickly took away our fears

Santa gave us each a toy and a treat
As we hugged him and said we’d been good
He disappeared back up the chimney
Through the soot and the burning wood

A little while later, the front door opened
Daddy rushed in with a breathless sigh
As he told us of reindeer and a flying sleigh
He’d just seen in the nighttime sky

We told him all about Santa’s visit that night
A tale Daddy found hard to believe
Then he pulled out a bag of chocolate drops
He always brought back on Christmas Eve

Many decades have now flown by
And the memories stop to give me pause
Every time I think about Christmas Eve
And Daddy's fear of Santa Claus

Kathleen McCoy Eldridge©
December 28, 2006
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Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Sequencer Unknown To Me