it was a wonderful eve. christmas eve always is. cooking filling the air. papers wrapping presents. sisters, children, parents, spouses. anticipation. quiet excitment. sister throwing up, sick with child. (this was a new addition to our tradition. summer is pregnant! yeah! summer is very sick. boo! she didn't even make christmas eve. we missed her much.)
my mom: "do you have the santa outfit?"
me: "of course."
i call chris just to make sure.
me: "hi hon. where are you?"
hon: "we are at the museum downtown. sorry i took the keys."
me: "that's ok. i don't need them. we did bring the santa suit didn't we? yes, we did. i remember seeing it in the car."
hon: "jayne, i don't think we did..."
me: "yes we did, i remember seeing it. when are you coming home?"
hon: "we have to leave at 6:30, right? i'll be home at 6:30."
me: "actually, you need to be home way before 6:30..."
all is well. tradition will continue. i'm almost positive we have the costume in the car. i know for a fact it was in the car as we drove away from sc. i do wish i had the keys to the car to make 100%sure...
chris comes home, i take the keys and head to the car.
chris, following me to the car: "i'm sure we don't have the santa suit."
me: "yes we do, i remember seeing it." this is being said as i'm opening up the back of the car.
the door slowly opens, and i'm sure it will be there.
none. gone. out of sight.
NO SANTA SUIT.
chris: "i wanted to make sure it was kept safe and neat, so i took it out of the car and hung it in the closet downstairs. at. my. parent's. house. in. powhatan."
me: "you took it out of the car? why?" i can't say anything else.
my mom: "do you have the santa suit?"
me: "no, it's in the closet in powhatan."
silence.
chris: "i can be back by 9..."(i love you more chris)
my dad: "jayne, where's the santa suit?"
me: "it's not here. it's in powhatan."
my dad: a bit shocked..."50 years of tradition..."
me crying.
now let's travel back in time some years ago. i don't know the exact year. but my mom- the rock. she's the one that gets things done. if you remember my earlier post about our tradition of my dad being santa for as long back as i can remember, you'll also remember how parties were planned and lots of fun was had sitting on santa's lap. as the years went by the party eventually made it's way to the cultural hall for the ward christmas parties. my mom, always aware, always knowing what needs to be done, had the bishop purchase a santa suit for the ward to keep in their activity closet for the years of christmas parties to come. always to have. always to be there. party night comes. costume is donned. party over. costume replaced neatly in box, waiting for next year's wishers.
little did my mom know that what she was really doing was saving christmas for the casillas family in the year 2008. the year the very fist great grandbaby would be sitting on santa's lap. the year jayne forgot to check the closet in powhatan for the santa suit.
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