Santa's Coming!

I worked for Belk-Matthews at the Macon Mall in the mid-1980's.  I started in the visual merchandising department as a temporary Christmas employee and went on into their management training program.  I became a buyer in the Vidalia store, then a department manager in the Macon store.

Working in retail means working a heck of a lot during the holidays.  It means working at night and weekends right up to Christmas day, then back again the day after.  But this is not about the hours or the weird customer problems encountered.

This is about Santa.

As a treat during the holidays, I would splurge on lunch or supper at the mall, usually going over to the Macy's store when there was a restaurant in the department store.  A group of us would meet there and relax for a while until it was time to face the shoppers in our store.

As I crossed back over to Belk's one day, I noticed the mall Santa walking toward us, headed for his throne which that year was on the lower level between Belk's and Macy's.  I smiled and waved to Santa, laughing with my friends.

"Hey Santa!  I've been a good girl this year," I grinned as he waved back to me.

"I know Fran, I've been watching you," Santa called out as we all stopped in our tracks, my friends staring at me.  He kept going toward his area where the elves and a long line of parents with excited children waited.

Was it a case of Santa stalking...or...is he real?