It was 1949 and Christmas was fast approaching. I was 5 that year and my little brother was almost 3. Our uncle, Wayne, was a big kid – 9 years old – and he “knew” things that we didn’t. He’d heard that Santa Claus did not really exist; rather, he was just your dad or uncle or some other member of the family. Wayne was my mother’s youngest brother, and their father had died when he was 9 months old. He was more like a brother to us kids than an uncle as we were growing up together.
Kids at school had told Wayne that there wasn’t really a Santa Claus, and he had set abut to wizen us up. Of course, we had all written our letters to Santa with our wish list, even Wayne as he wasn’t 100% convinced and was afraid to chance it. I wanted a doll, my brother wanted a teddy bear, and Wayne wanted a bicycle.
Christmas Eve arrived and ALL the family gathered at our house. Sometime later in the evening we heard the sound of bells and a hearty “HO, HO, HO” outside the front door. Wayne, my brother, and I ran to hide behind the draperies, peering around the edge just as the door opened and Santa came in. Santa had a big bag of gifts and as he began to distribute them, Wayne (in his wisdom) proceeded to whisper to us that it was just our dad, but there sat dad next to mom. Then he whispered to us that it was his brother, John, but again there sat John with his wife. Finally he decided it must be his other brother, James, and again he was wrong as James was among the crowd in our living room. Finally, Wayne stopped guessing about who was pretending to be Santa. There were no other family members who could possibly be playing the part.
Finally Santa was down to his last 3 gifts and we shyly stepped out to receive them. I got my doll, my brother got his teddy bear, and Wayne got some small gift, not the bicycle he wanted. With a hearty “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night” Santa started out the door. Then he stopped, stepped back inside proclaiming he had forgotten a special gift, and brought a bicycle into the house for Wayne.
I’m not sure that Wayne even thanked Santa. I believe he was dumbstruck. He became a believer again, and for the next several years we didn’t hear anything about there not being a real Santa.
Over 40 years later I asked my mother who was Santa Claus that night so long ago. She explained that my dad had told a co-worker about Wayne trying to convince us that Santa didn’t exist. The co-worker said that he’d take care of Wayne. It was he who showed up on Christmas to say, essentially, that “Yes, Virginia (and Wayne) there is a Santa Claus.”
About Virginia Greene
Virginia Sue Greene, February 21, 1944 – January 6, 2022, was one of the original members of Heycuz. She shared her genealogy research with us generously. She published a book entitled Descendants of Jesse and Nancy Ann Cobb of Franklin, Co., TN. In her book, she wrote this biography:
I was born in the City of St. Louis, MO, and was raised in the suburban area. My parents and I lived for a time with my Grandmother and mom’s siblings while waiting for a new house to be finished. Someone poured the foundation and my parents and paternal grandfather built the house by hand. We lived near Granny and were back and forth from our house to hers quite often. I have happy memories as a child and loved Granny dearly.
I graduated from Southeast MO State College in May, 1966, with a BS degree in Education. In Dec., 1971, I was awarded my Masters degree. I taught elementary school in the Ritenour School District for 32 years (1966-1998) before retiring.
Her Family Group Sheet can be viewed here: Virginia Sue PALFREEMAN.
