You’d be forgiven for thinking this post isn’t about self-care, but it absolutely makes me feel good every time I think about it.
I did one of those degree courses that has a year out, working – a placement year. I had to apply for a placement job in the same way as you’d apply for any regular job and I sent off a ridiculous number of applications. I ended up interviewing for two and had to choose. One was trainee management for a very well-known fast food chain beginning with M and the other was the one I accepted (despite a GBP3000) lower salary.
I made my move to Scarborough – a popular seaside resort town on the east coast of England – and began working at W. Boyes & Co. – a low-priced department store chain where you can just about buy anything you’d ever need. Throughout the year as a trainee manager, I worked my way around all the departments, in the many stores in the north of England and the Head Office in Scarborough. I loved it. Everything about that year. The friends I made, the work, the beach walks, everything. I digress.
So, Boyes’s (as it’s lovingly known) knew how to do Christmas. The flagship store in Scarborough had a Christmas window display to be envied. The whole town waited for the unveiling of the Christmas window each year and my window display extraordinaire friend, Elaine, did a fabulous job.
Boyes’s also had its very own Santa’s Grotto – it was on the basement floor with the carpets and furniture. There would be queues of excited kids waiting to get a sit on the big man’s knee and, of course, a pressie.
Now, you may not realise that an integral role of a trainee manager is to choose and wrap gifts for Santa to hand out – oh yes indeed! And I relished that role. You may have guessed already that I’m a hopeless Christmasite – I love the decorations, the songs, the lights, the food, the drinks, the parties and even the shopping. Not forgetting the magic.
I wrapped and wrapped and wrapped over several days, carefully sorting each wrapped gift into boxes marked with gender and age so that Santa wouldn’t be embarrassed by giving an inappropriate present. So, in short, I kinda knew what was in those gifts.
I bet you also didn’t know that another role of a trainee manager at Christmas time is to be one of Santa’s elves, did you? No? Well, now you do! And so there I was, all ‘Elf’d up’ showing kids with sparkly eyes in to see Santa and, on Santa’s say so, handing out a gift to the lucky boy or girl.
Naturally, I heard all the kids’ hopes and dreams for video games and BMXs, ponies and whatever that year’s must-have toy was. And I heard Santa diplomatically managing their expectations to the relief of accompanying parents!
But, then it was the turn of one little girl who was visiting Santa with her Grandma. Nothing out of the ordinary, until Santa asked her what she would most like for Christmas. “An iron” came the reply. Took Santa a bit off guard I reckon – and me. No-one else had asked him for an iron (unsurprisingly).
Now, remember I told you that I knew exactly what was in those wrapped up gifts? Mmmm, well I’d remembered wrapping a set that had a toy washing basket, some dolls’ clothes and… AN IRON. Oh man, now was it in the 1-3 year old box or the 4-8 year old container? Of course it was in the girls section – it was the very early 90s! I subtly picked a couple of packages down and gave them a quick feel – bingo, I’d found it!
The girl waved goodbye to Santa and collected her gift from me and left the grotto. Obviously all the kids tear open their present within three steps outside the grotto, so I just hung around to watch this little girl open hers. “I got an iron!” she exclaimed. She beamed from ear to ear, the excitement clear, but…
I’ll never forget the look of sheer magic and bewilderment on Grandma’s face as she looked back towards Santa.
As I dab my tears, as I do every time I re-tell this story, I’m so grateful that I got to play a part of that Santa visit that day. I mean it when I say I will never forget the look on Grandma’s face – 28 years later and it still fills me with magic.
Giving and doing good and nice things for others makes the giver feel good. It doesn’t have to be a costly gift – this magic moment didn’t cost me anything. It’s not difficult to think of something that someone would really appreciate and often only takes little effort.
“Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.”
Ben Carson
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Photo by Ignacio R on Unsplash