Santa Claus

Year after year she did everything Christmas asked of her. And more.She decorated the house, set out the manger, made cookies. Every year she steamed a plum pudding.

She often went beyond the call of duty. In early December she would hang stockings for the Feast of Saint Nicholas. Her father’s name was Nick and as a child, she lived in Saint Nicholas Parish.

There was a one-time chore, however, Julia had put off.

She had hoped the kids on the block would do the dirty work. Either no one had told her boy about Santa Claus of he had simply refused to listen. Santa knew who was naughty or nice and the 7-year-old had built lots of “nice” equity.

Now all these years later he still remembers The Talk.

His mother had picked him up after school — he’s sure about that. She parked the Plymouth just off the main drag in a metered space at 39º09’23.30”N and 84º36’39.78”W.

He suspects she was taking him to get new shoes. She may have promised him an ice cream at the drug store. It would have been like her to light a cigarette before explaining that she hadn’t told him the truth. Some lies are just for fun, she suggested. She showed a facial tic at times like this.

Christmas came. There were presents under the tree. Mary Jane and George from next door came over as usual, and brought the kind of chocolates people without children eat before every meal.

“The Christmas Carol” came on TV at 10 p.m. like it always did. The boy realized that some guy had made it up and that it was nothing but one fantastical lie after another. He liked parts of it anyway. They all stayed awake and watched the whole thing except for his mother, who dosed off.