Christmas!

Normally I would expect to be able to turn up for work, put in a decent day, maybe change some lives, and move on, back home, wrestle with the kids, throw a ball for the dog, pick up her mess, and life goes on. Christmas however is different.

This is what I saw when I got into work yesterday.

My workplace, yesterday.

That's right, 1,807 Santas. That is one thousand eight hundred and seven Santas. I know because I counted them, all of them. What is the point in doing something half heartedly? if you are going to have a Santa type event don't just get one for the kids to coo over, get 1807.

The day was great, it lifted everyone's spirits and gave the place a real buzz. Trouble is though my kids came in the car to pick me up and they were awfully confused. Daughter number one tutted in her usual 'not-quite-a-pain-in-the-rear-teenager-but-trying-to-be' way that she has, whereas daughter number two watched them all thoughtfully, keeping her eyes on them as we drove away until they all disappeared out of sight around the corner.

The thinking went on well into the evening, with daughter number two in a sort of daze, pondering what she had just witnessed. 

"are you okay?" I asked.

"Which one was the real santa Dad?"

I shrugged. "I think the real Santa is still at the North Pole."

Daughter Number Two shook her head slowly, a knowing smile on her face.

"No, he was there."

I watched her big smiling face for a while, and as she got up to wonder off I asked "How do you know?"

She just tutted in an imitation of Daughter Number One. " With that many Santa's all in one place one of them must be real."

"And the others?"

"They're just fat dads in Santa suits."

And with that she was off, chasing the dog around the house tying to stick some felt reindeer antlers to the dog's head with her older sister who should actually know better.

And there we have it, perhaps we are all just fat dads in santa suits, but as long as our kids are happy who cares?

Merry Christmas.