When I was about the age of three,
I had my first chance to sit on Santa’s knee.
He was in the back of George Shipman’s Dixie Dandy,
Close to the bottle drinks, meat section, and Christmas candy.
A “Ho! Ho! Ho!” came from a mouth I could not see,
Words came as his beard parted to let out his words of glee.
He picked me up and I looked into his eyes,
“Santa,” I thought, “Are you real or is this just a disguise?”
He knew me by name, his beard was soft, and his boots looked real,
He had me convinced that he was really the real deal.
He already knew what was on my list and helped me check it twice,
He didn’t miss the chance to ask if I’d been naughty or nice.
Santa’s eyes and His voice made me think we’d met before,
As we sat back there in Mr. Shipman’s grocery store.
Is it possible that Santa is someone who knows us throughout the year?
Who sees us before He hitches up to all of his reindeer?
I looked at him with suspicion. He looked and me and said, “Ho, Ho, Ho!”
He set me down, and then he said, “Before you go.”
He reached into his bag and he gave me a piece of candy.
He said, “Thank you and your Mommy for shopping at the Dixie Dandy.”
That evening when Daddy came home, I ran to tell him about my day,
About seeing Santa Clause who promised he’d be coming my way!
He picked me up and sat me on his knee.
Then something strange happened to me at the age of three.
I looked into my father’s eyes and for the first time I thought I saw—
Santa Clause
Looking back at me.