The Year Without A Santa Claus

It occurred to me last night as I was being grumpy to LA-B (for no apparent reason) that this is the first year without Santa Claus. "What?" you may say if you read this blahg or know me personally. I had a little baby this year, so why would there be no Santa Claus?

Santa had a booming voice that would echo through the house as he chuckled "ho ho ho...bah humbug." He rarely if ever did his own shopping. He would eat oyster stew at midnight and sometimes even get in a hand or two of Euchre. He made sure that there were sparkling lights from roof to lawn. He made the best rum raisin ice cream in the world.

He was a man of few words on the phone, but catch him sitting at a table and he would tell you tales of truck driving, race cars, and growing up on a farm. He had a crooked nose, a crooked arm and a lead foot. But above all else, he had a heart of gold.

I miss him.