Allie's Magical moment with santa...

​Last night my wife, my sister, and my father came to see Santa at the Festival where I am booked and we got to get some truly great photos...but I've got to be honest, the real magic of the night came at the end of the night with the last family that I saw. They were a family of five.  Two boys ages 11 and 9 and a little girl, Allie, aged 7.

While her brothers just hopped up on my lap for the photos and couldn't wait to tell me what they wanted for Christmas, Allie stayed at her mother's side too scared to even stand next to Santa's throne, let alone sit on Santa's lap or even next to me for that matter.

Gary got the photos of me and her brothers and I heard what they wanted for Christmas and we chatted a bit about the items on their wish lists, but once the boys told me what they wanted, I started trying to listen more to Allie and her mother's conversation than the boys' descriptions of the toys they wanted; without letting them know I was paying closer attention to their sister, of course. And so, when her mom said, "don't you want to tell Santa what you want for Christmas?" Allie replied with a soft-spoken and timid "I already sent him my Christmas list."  Fortunately, I know what most little girls want for Christmas this year and, so, at that point when Allie said that she had already sent in her list, inferring that I should then already know what she wants for Christmas, well...magic happened.

She was standing with her mother just at the top of the stairs to the stage, about 8 to 10 feet away from me and I turned to her and said, "Allie, you sent me your Christmas list, right?" She nodded. So I asked her, "and on that list you asked me to bring you some LOL dolls?"  Her eyes got big and she nodded.  "And some Barbies?" She said softly, "yes." And then I added, "OH! And of course, there's the LOL dollhouse, too, right?" At this point she wasn't just wide-eyed, I swear that I could see a little twinkle in her eye as I turned back to her brothers who were still sitting on my lap.

She turned to her mother and asked if I was the real Santa, so I turned back to her and said, "Well Allie, you're the real you aren't you?" To which she said, "yes." So I said, "then doesn't it make sense that I'm the real me?" She said, "yes" and I could tell that she was getting past her fear and anxiety and getting a little excited. 

And that's when the real magic happened...

Allie: "um...Santa?"
Me: "Yes, Allie?"
Allie: "um...was that really you in the parade?"
Me with a big grin: "Which parade, Allie? There's lots of 'em ya'know!" 
Allie: "the big one with the balloons and Alabama led you in?"
Me: "You mean the University of Alabama marching band? THE Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade?" 
Allie nodding: "yes"
Me, gently motioning for her to come closer: "Come here, Allie...closer, it's okay..."
Me whispering: "Tell me what you think, Allie."
Allie whispering: "I think it really was you."
With that I brushed the side of my right nostril with the tip of my right index finger (how Santa activates his magic in "The Christmas Chronicles" movies), gave her a wink and finished by pursing my lips and placing my index finger over them softly telling her "shhhh..."

At that she lit up like a Christmas tree and this shy, timid, uncertain child was a true believer!
​
I truly wish more people could experience the excitement and magic of Christmas the way a child does because that is something truly special.  To be able to witness it myself and even play a small part in helping to create some Christmas magic for a child is truly a cherished gift bestowed upon me