In 1989, when my first son was only two weeks old, I took him to see Santa for the first time. The mall Santa looked nervous holding such a tiny baby. The picture wasn’t the best, and neither was Santa’s suit, but I kept that photo close to my heart.
Every year after that, we kept the Santa tradition going. In 1993, my second son joined his big brother on Santa’s lap. Back then, we used Polaroid cameras, and there were no fancy photo packages. Still, we displayed those pictures every Christmas.
Santa asked my oldest what he wished for when he was just three years old. He said, “I don’t know. I have everything I need.” I was shocked, what kid says that? But he was always the kind of child who’d get excited over a banana in a bag.
In 1995 and 1998, we moved closer to family in South Carolina, and I had two more boys. Santa had a new look in the South, his beard actually seemed real this time. With four little boys under ten, those Santa pictures became our yearly family photo. Professional photos were too expensive, and school pictures came twice a year, so our Santa visits became our special tradition.
Getting all the boys to smile was never easy. There were times I had to keep one or two of them still. In one picture, my son was crying so hard that every tooth in his mouth was showing. Still, I wanted to remember those moments.
In 1999, after I separated from their dad, many things changed. Money was tight. But I always made sure we got our Santa picture. We’d find a night in December, visit Santa, and drive through town to see the free Nativity scene. At home, we displayed past photos on a wall and hung wish lists the boys made by cutting pictures from newspapers.
Around 2002, life was really hard. I was still going through my divorce. My church helped us with meals and gifts. A friend’s husband brought us a little tree we made beautiful. One day, Santa asked me what I wanted. I told him, “A new life.” He gave me a hug and said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
The next year, I met someone who brought light back into my life. After my divorce, we got married, and his two kids joined us. Our Santa Wall grew. The kids carried on the tradition as they got older. Some years they missed pictures due to boot camp or travel, but they still found ways to visit Santa.
In 2018, we celebrated 30 years of Santa photos. I thanked Santa for all the magic and memories. I look forward to whatever lies ahead. That Wall will always remind me of love, laughter, and Christmas magic.
