In our area of Oklahoma we have had an early ice/snow/arctic cold front. I didn’t sign up for this, this is not supposed to happen, especially not this early, it is not even real winter yet. I get cabin fever pretty quickly and I guess it is a trait I passed to my daughter Courtney and my granddaughter Kinsey. Over the weekend Mike and I decided to brave the cold and the slick roads and because we knew Courtney and Kinsey were batching it (their men were hunting) we invited them to join us. When we phoned to see if they needed anything their answer was “yes, out”.
One of our destinations was the mall. We shopped at many stores but as we approached the center of the mall we came upon Santa’s hangout. Kinsey convinced her Grandad she should visit with the jolly man in the red suit. Grandad is pretty easily convinced by his grandchildren, which of course makes him a good Grandad.
Courtney and I continued shopping and did not witness Kinsey’s Santa visit. Mike shared their conversation with me the next day. I knew I would share it in a blog. It went something like this,
Santa asked “What would you like Santa to bring you for Christmas?”.
Kinsey answered “I really want Shellie May”.
Santa, perplexed at never having heard of this doll asked “Does Shellie May wear a pretty dress?”
Kinsey responded, “She doesn’t wear a dress.”
Santa followed with “Oh, does she wear a cute shirt and pants?”
Kinsey said, “No”.
Santa, now with eyebrows raised a little and concern in his voice he asked “What does she wear?”
Kinsey told Santa “A necklace!”
Santa glances toward Grandad, both men a little uncomfortable when Santa says, “What kind of doll is Shellie May?”
Kinsey replied matter- of- factly, trying her best to be patient with this Santa, “Shellie May is not a doll, she is a bear.”
Santa and Grandad exchanged looks of relief and after high fives and hugs Kinsey was ready to continue her shopping. She shared with Mike that she would love to meet the real Santa. She knew the mall Santa was really just a helper, not like Santa’s elf helpers, because of course Santa’s elves were very small.
Shellie May is in fact a companion bear to the Disney bear “Duffy”. Last summer our family visited Disney World and Kinsey came home with a much-loved Duffy, she has talked for months of wanting Shellie May. I hope Santa can make his magic happen because Shellie May can only be purchased in Tokyo’s Disney. I believe in Santa’s magic. When Mike told me this story I knew it was meant to be shared.
Family 