Santa has a dream

This past season at the mall - and out - has been an interesting one.

This season I was able to be natural-bearded for the first time.

A young couple became engaged, with the young lady sitting on Santa's lap at the time.

A family with a sense of humor a staged a "protest" - with Santa joining in. (Above)

I was able to help at the Veteran's Outreach Center Christmas Party. And this Wednesday I'll be stopping by a group home for a post-Christmas visit (Santa works up until the Feast of the Epiphany!).

I was featured on the front page of a local paper.

It got me to thinking about the future.

Might it be possible to contact some local advertisers and get some work with them? After all, I can be a natural-bearded Santa for them now. They will be doing their ads in the summer and fall - - before the mall season - and in the summer I'll be off school, so it might be possible to pick up some work. I was asked if I do private parties. Not yet, but could I? More income.

I was also thinking that I should try next season to expand my volunteering. Perhaps the local health/neighborhood centers run by the Sisters of Mercy or the Sisters of St. Joseph to give folks in the city a chance for some visits and photos with Santa without traveling out to the malls or spending lots of money?

Given the local market, it's probably unlikely I could generate enough income to quit my day job for many years yet, but this could be my retirement job. I figure, God willing and my knees holding up, I could do this for about 20 more years, including ten after I can retire. Maybe even longer?

And if I can generate contacts outside the immediate area, maybe I can go at it more full-time sooner?

And what if I used my writing to generate more Santa tales and so sell those? Hmm.

It's a dream. But it's a nice one.

Pax et bonum