Last week I wrote about my First World Conundrum of whether or not we would introduce Santa in our toddler’s life. Fifteen of you took the poll.

So sayeth the poll: have Santa. And helpful readers wrote in the comments section supporting Santa’s presence.

I’m still not sold.

Believe it or not, this took up a lot of mental space last week. As RBVH pointed out, when all of our needs are met, us lucky enough to not have to worry about where our next meal comes from tend to worry about stuff. While parents are worrying how they’ll find money for gifts to put under the tree, I sit and mentally wring my hands about this.

But maybe the answer came easier than I thought. On Friday night we three headed to kid-friendly Monty’s Blue Plate Diner as part of our neighborhood’s Winter Festival. Afterwards we popped down to Absolutely Art for their monthly gallery opening, which always features drool-worthy Bunky’s Café food. We spent some time looking around and seeing our daughter do the toddler-knee-dance to the band they had playing. It was a nice Friday night.

As we left, passing friendly acquaintances, we saw two red-clad figures walking down the street, part of the festivities. They waved, one with a fake beard and pillow under his outfit, both wearing white wigs. “Oh, look,” I said. “There’s Santa.”

–  MD

p.s. If you have a few extra dollars to share, help a family that needs help by meeting their wishlist needs. Middleton Outreach Ministry or the Goodman Community Center has families with simple lists that would love your help. Please share other links in the Comments section of places where people can help.