"Everything you've been told about building
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Our Christmas Story

We had done everything necessary to pull it off, and on Christmas Eve, we were finally ready. We rented the Santa suit, including his beard, boots, belt, glasses, hat and wig. Now, we were ready to see if was going to work.

On Christmas Eve, Lisa and I piled toys into Santa’s bag and we had the perfect Santa, our chubby buddy, Paul, from England (it’s okay, he’s lost a lot of weight since then).  It could not have been more perfectly orchestrated. The only question is whether we could pull this off with our 3-year old triplets, Lily, Tim and Alek.

A Magical Christmas Moment

The big day finally arrives.  On Christmas morning, Tim, Lily and Alek come running down the stairs rushing to see what Santa brought them around the Christmas tree.  Once our triplets settle down around the tree in our living room, we hear a loud sound—it’s Santa himself bellowing “Ho, Ho, Ho”, as he barges into our living room.   

Our 3-year old “babies” are euphoric as they can’t believe their eyes.  The kids jump up and down, scream in excitement and hug Santa. Eventually, once our kids settle down a bit, Santa tells a few stories about his world travels, his favorite reindeer, Rudolf, and Mrs. Claus and the elves at the North Pole.  Santa hands out the gifts in his bag to our kids and then he’s off to bring joy and happiness to good boys and girls around the world. 

As Santa departs, Lisa and I look at each other with knowing smirks of glee on our faces. Almost hard to believe, we pulled it off—Santa’s visit was seamless.  Our kids couldn’t stop talking about the visit from Santa and had to tell their extended family that Santa personally delivered their gifts. It was, by all accounts, a seemingly magical moment on Christmas morning in 2002, and one that our kids would always remember.

Something We Never Expected

Fast forward 10 months later to October, 2003, Lisa and I are having dinner with our children when—seemingly out of nowhere—our 3-year old, Lily, blurts out, “Mommy, remember, when Paul dressed up as Santa”. 

Lisa and I look at each other as if we just saw a ghost.  Lisa and I were at a loss of words. No response was going to suffice, so we awkwardly sat in silence and waited for the moment to pass.  

A Christmas Moment Worth Celebrating

Turns out, our secret wasn’t much of a secret after all. Our 3-year old daughter, Lily, got the better of us—she always knew that Santa was our buddy, Paul, but she didn’t want to ruin the moment for us. Lily cared too much about our feelings and she wanted Lisa and I to enjoy a special Christmas moment.

Thank you, Lily, for giving us the best Christmas gift, a little girl who only thinks  about bringing happiness to her mom and dad. And that is a Christmas gift that your mom and I will never forget.


Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Leave a comment below telling me what surprised, inspired or taught you the most (I personally respond to every comment). And if you disagree with my take on running a personal injury law firm, or have a specific, actionable tip, I’d love to hear from you.
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