She knows Santa when she sees him…

The second in a series of thankful reflections

I stopped to visit Santa today.  It has been a while since I have actually had a talk with the jolly old elf, but I was curious about his story, and I was wondering if I had been good enough to make his list this year.

Today’s visit occurred at the Shops in Clearfork near my home.  The Greatest Gift Catalog Ever sponsors Santa’s appearance along with the Shops at Clearfork and when my friend, Christine Jones told me about Santa’s appearance, I knew I wanted to meet him. 

In his prior life experiences, George Campbell had a career in the marketing and advertising business.  In 2012 upon retirement, George began letting his naturally white whiskers grow a little longer.  That October, George (with a full white beard) was seated in a Costco waiting room awaiting the completion of a tire repair.  A young mother pushing a full cart entered along with her
three-year-old daughter.  The young girl, upon seeing George, grabbed a bag of cookies from the cart, hurriedly opened them and offered two cookies to George as she jumped in his lap.  “Here Santa, these are for you.” she said.  A laughing mother retrieved her daughter and told George, “My daughter knows Santa when she sees him.”  And, as it has been said…the rest is history.

Today, Santa is greeting children (and those who might be acting like children) to support the Greatest Gift Catalog Ever.  The catalog features 26 charitable organizations that help the hungry, homeless, or helpless in Tarrant County.  The ‘meet and greet’ is free but donations to charitable organizations are encouraged.  In a typical year, Santa sees approximately 5,000-7,000 North Texas children.

Santa has a tiny red book in which he notes the names of good girls and boys.  The children seem to take a special delight in seeing their names noted in Santa’s tiny book.  I couldn’t help myself when we met. I told Santa that I hoped to be on the ‘nice’ list.  He seemed skeptical, but with a twinkle in his eye, he reached into his pocket and produced a tiny red book.  He slowly turned five pages and ran his finger down the page.  He smiled and turned the book toward me so that I could read: Elias, Teddy, George, Kevin.  (Even those of us who only act like children are thrilled by inclusion on the ‘nice’ list!)

Recently, when they visited our home, one of my daughters took her kids, Teddy and George, to visit Santa.  Teddy was interested in telling Santa about his wish list, while George was more interested in candy canes and Christmas ornaments.  Teddy told Santa that he wanted a Nerf gun for Christmas. Santa leaned in close and told Teddy that he had been good so far this year, but a Nerf gun was intended to be shot at targets only…and little brothers were not to be the target.  This was Teddy’s reaction:

Santa has the banter, the storytelling, and the improvisational skills to make every encounter a special experience.  And…Santa is here supporting local charitable organizations by helping them raise funds for all North Texans.

In his pocket, Santa keeps a card that he offers to children of all ages who visit him and seek to stay on the ‘nice’ list.  In part it reads:

“Smile, and give a gift”

This quote from Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34^th Street (1947) seems to sum up Santa’s credo:

“Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind…and that’s what’s been changing.  That’s why I’m here, maybe I can do something about it.”

My friend, Christine Jones, is the executive director of the Greatest Gift Catalog Ever.  Her work each year includes interacting with local non-profit groups to facilitate raising funds to see those programs succeed.  Since 2020, the Greatest Gift Catalog Ever has sponsored Santa’s appearance at the Shops at Clearfork.

I’m not sure how Christine contacted Santa and made the arrangements for him to be in attendance each year at the Shops at Clearfork, but I do know
this:

Christine knows Santa when she sees him.

Today I am thankful for my friend Christine Jones and the work that she does with the Greatest Gift Catalog Ever to make North Texas a better place to live for everyone.  Today I am thankful for my new friend, George Campbell and his Christmas ‘frame of mind’ which he proudly displays 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  And today I am thankful that Santa shares with all children, the thought that everyone can give a gift by simply providing a smile.

Hopefully this tale has provided a gift for you…

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to each one!

Thank you for listening!

Your friend,

KBM
Kevin Medlin
kevin@mysilentpew.com

To learn more about the Greatest Gift Catalog Ever please follow this link:

https://www.tggce.org/

To learn more about North Texas Santa please follow this link:

https://www.northtexassanta.com/