After my husband had open-heart surgery, he decided not to shave so that he wouldn’t have to worry with blood thinners. Soon his beard had grown out fully, and he returned to work. His co-workers were simply thrilled to see his new beard and told him that he would make a perfect Santa Claus at the company Christmas party. He secured a Santa suit and embraced the role. Before long, he was invited to make appearances at nursery schools and other gatherings. Eventually he was asked to be the official Santa for the Annabel Lee Santa cruises. Before he agreed to this, he inquired about having Mrs. Santa Claus with him.
I will admit that I was not thrilled about the idea of becoming Mrs. Claus. After all, December was a busy month, and I had a lot to do. My daughter helped me to see that it had been a compliment to me that he had wanted to share this with me. I secured a Mrs. Claus outfit and agreed to it. We had a wonderful time in this role which led to additional Santa and Mrs. Claus appearances.
Looking back on it, I am so glad that I took my daughter’s advice to heart and now have these wonderful memories of this special time with my husband. The good times extended beyond official Santa duties — we had dinner with Sergeant Santa and his wife at Red Lobster once — wouldn’t you know that the Sergeant and my husband both wore red sport coats.
–Marylou Cumby, Resident
