SANTA!!! I kissed SANTA

Yes, I have a confession to make....I am Mrs. Clause!

Richard was asked to play Santa at our ward Christmas party. Everyone raved he was the best Santa ever. And of course, after an hour and a half of kids approaching him throughout the night, he had some great stories to tell.
Hopefully, Anna is not thinking "I can't believe mom is cheating on Dad!"

Probably the only costume in the world that is made to be worn by large, strapping man like Richard...all except the boots which are black leather covers to be worn over your shoes. If you look closely, you will realize that no make-believe boot was meant to cover size 14 feet. Richard resorted to wearing black socks with the boot covers just sitting on top of his feet. Hopefully, no one was looking down!
Richard had never been a kid or baby person until we had Anna. He loved playing Santa though and after the night was over just kept saying "those kids are so stinkin' cute!" Some of the more precocious children followed him around quizzing him on the names of the reindeer, the names of the elves, who was the shortest elf and what his height was (Apparently a elf named Jake at 2 feet 7 inches tall). Luckily, Richard studied the afternoon before and had answers ready to all their questions.
The most touching moment came from an autistic boy in the ward. It took him about 15-20 minutes to come up to Santa. He kept inching ever closer, keeping watch for his parents nearby. He really wanted to talk to Santa but I could tell it was very hard for him. Richard just spoke to him softly, never pressuring him to sit on his knee, and finally, when this boy came close enough to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas, this is what he said:

"Mr. Santa Clause, my grandpa died a little while ago, and I really miss him, so when you go back to the North Pole and when you get to heaven, could you just tell him Hello for me and that I love him. I really miss my Grandpa."

Richard just told him "I will do that!"
The highlight of the evening was probably when Anna sat on Santa's lap. I don't know whether she was fooled because as soon as Richard had ahold of her, she grabbed his beard in a vice grip and wouldn't let go.

Afterword: The next day was Sunday. After Sacrament meeting one of the mothers in the ward came up to Richard and told him good-naturedly that he had apparently promised her 6-year old a baby chiuwawa.

Lets hope that next Christmas there is a repeat performance!