Snow falls at ‘Once Upon a Cajun Christmas’
December 5, 2014
Letting go of the past; enjoying now
December 5, 2014
It’s the most wonderful time of the year once again!
And for those in the bayou region, that means that Santa Claus himself is gracing Southland Mall in Houma with all of his holiday cheer.
Gumbo entered Santa’s gorgeous Christmas wonderland and sat down with Kris Kringle himself for a few minutes.
Here’s how their conversation went.
Richard Fischer: It’s Christmas time again. Are you ready?
Santa Claus: I stay ready. I stay ready for this.
RF: What do you do all year to stay ready for Christmas time?
SC: Just relax.
RF: Have you made any preparations at all?
SC: I don’t do anything. I hang around the house waiting, and then whenever Christmas time comes by, I get on my suit and start.
RF: What’s your favorite part of this time of year?
SC: The kids. Coming out here and meeting the kids and talking to them. The ones I really love to [greet] are the Down syndrome kids. They come out. They hug you, and they really believe in the spirit of Christmas.
RF: What do you enjoy most about visiting with children with disabilities?
SC: It’s the twinkle in their eye. When they see Santa Claus, they light up.
RF: As Santa, you’ve seen Christmas all over the world. But here in the bayou region, we don’t get very much snow compared to up north. What do you make of the non-white Christmas we have down here?
SC: It’s better than having all that snow like this time of year what they’re having up [North] right now. The atmosphere feels better down here.
RF: What are some of the common gifts you’re being asked for so far this year?
SC: It’s a lot of the regular stuff, but this year there’s a lot of “Frozen” stuff they’re asking for because that’s something new on the market. They still ask for the same old bicycle and Barbie doll. They still ask for that. One boy told me he wanted a Red Ryder BB Gun.
RF: What’s your advice for kids on how to behave leading up to Christmas?
SC: They have to be especially good and listen to their mama and their daddy and behave, and Santa Claus is going to treat them well.
RF: Your area in Southland Mall is beautiful with all of the Christmas spirit surrounding us, Santa. What do you think of your special area?
SC: I like they way they got it set up this year. Any kind of way that you sit to take the picture, you don’t have any shadow. It’s nice.
RF: Why should kids come out to Southland Mall and see you before Christmas?
SC: Let Santa Claus know what you really want for Christmas, and let me know how everything’s going.
Santa Claus talks Christmas with 6-year-old Kashveen Kaur. During a break at his Southland Mall stop in Houma, Gumbo staffer Richard Fischer got the low-down on Santa’s biggest day of the year.
