Dearly Beloved,
The season of the Santa-god draws near. I am not a
blasphemer, but in our nation. Saint Nicholas, the myth,
the cultural icon, the other Christmas star, approaches the
status of a deity.
1 tell you, I have been the Santa-god. I have walked in
his shoes, and Lo, they stride long across the landscape —
long as the Shoes of the Fisherman. He is the other being
of giving, of receiving graciously, of merriment and joy, ot
hope and peace.
For several years, I have been the Santa Figure, the
incarnation of the myth here amongst you; the experience
infuses me with a certain awe and a degree of fear and
trembling.
In New Guinea, Amazonia, and certain other remote
places, tribal members paint their faces and bodies, adorn
themselves with Bird of Paradise and parrot feathers, scarify
their skins, and don ceremonial masks. In doing so, they
don't merely represent their gods, they bgCQHIS the gods for
purposes of ritual and ceremony.
I know what that means now.
Each December I cloak myself in the seasonal
vestments, kept sacrosanct all year in an old Meier and
Frank's box. A slenderish man, I safety-pin a large pillow
between two undershirts. That prevents belly sag and
accidents resulting from smart-alecky tomfoolery. Next
comes the classic fire-engine red suit with scruffy mouton
trim, smelling faintly of old spruce boughs and candy canes,
with a touch of moth balls thrown in for measure. I slip on
the boots, well, some type of plastic mock boot, really.
Lastly, I adorn myself with Santa's signature trappings, the
white beard/hair/eyebrow ensemble and jaunty cap. I
sometimes scent the breath of my Santa predecessors in that
old beard. I reflect that I am but one in a long line of Santa
succession. I heft my Santa bag and an old dinner bell for
spirit, and the game is afoot.
Now, I’m a fire engine Santa. Some guys are helicopter
Santas, or Army tank Santas, or just moseying around,
walking Santas. I like the impact created by a shiny red
diesel V-8 fire truck, sirens bellowing and horn a-blare.
That Santa arrives in style. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!
Besides, I like to ride in fire trucks. Lots of adrenalin amp.
Sets the liver and lights to jumping.
The firemen chauffeur me to the staging area where we
assemble for our dash to the local grade school. The tire
guys offer encouragement. I couldn t do the bit without
them. They soothe my jitters and promise to cover for me
if a kid lunges for my beard.
The moment arrives. Sirens blaring, we halt at the
school door. Inside the gymnasium is all in tumult. I grab
my Santa bag, and stumble out of the truck and ho-ho a few
times for luck and confidence.
Inside the door- - Roar up! Behold! the Santa-god is
come! I stagger along ho-hoing to a deafening euphony of
kid screams. I’m Joe Montana lurching to the goal line at
Candlestick Park as the crowd roars approval.
The firemen seat me on my dias and the children begin
to file by me. I greet each one. proffer a bag of treats and a
few words of Christmas cheer. For a few moments, I
imagine to myself that I become something pleasant to the
children behind those bright eyes; a father they never knew,
a memory of a beloved grandpa, an image of peace and
happiness, promise for a better time to come.
In these moments, I am Santa and I am deeply moved.
D O C S TAVERN
1414 Bay Ave. Ocean Park, WA. 1 0 6 *6 6 5 -5 0 8 4
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Birth is the beginning of death.
Thom as Fuller
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C annon Beach: Jupiter's Rare and Used Books,
Osburn's Grocery, The Cookie Co., Coffee Cabaña,
Bill's Tavern, Cannon Beach Book Co., Hane's
Bakerie, The Bistro, Midtown Café, Once Upon a
Breeze, Knoodlz & Cleanline Surf
M anzanita: Manzanita News & Espresso, Bayside
Gardens, Cassandra's, Pacific Coast Books & Coffee &
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R ockaw ay: Sharkey's
T illam ook: Rainy Day Books
Pacific City: The River House
O ceanside: Ocean Side Espresso
Lincoln City; Trillium Natural Foods, Driftwood
Library, & Eats 'n' Stuff
N ew port: Oceana Natural Foods, Don Petrie's Italian
Food Co., Café DIVA, Cosmo Café, Bookmark Café,
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Ocean Pulse Surf Shop, Coastal Coffee Co. & Canyon
Way
Eugene: Book Mark, Café Navarra, Eugene Public
Library, Friendly St. Market, Happy Trails, Keystone
Café, Kiva Foods, Lane C.C., Light For Music, New
Frontier Market, Nineteenth Street Brew Pub, Oasis
Market, Perry's. Red Bam Grocery, Sundance Natural
Foods, U of O, & WOW Hall
C orvallis: Not Necessarily News, & The
Environmental Center
Salem: Heliotrope, Salem Library, & The Peace
Store
A sto ria: KMUN, Columbian Café, The Community
Store, & Café Uniontown
Seaside: Buck's Book Bam. Universal Video, &
Cafe Espresso
Portland: Act III, Barnes & Noble, Belmonts Inn,
Bibelot Art Gallery, Bijou Café, Borders, Bridgeport
Brew Pub, Capt’n Beans (two locations). Center for the
Healing Light. Coffee People (three locations).
Common Grounds Coffee, East Avenue Tavern, Food
Front, Goose Hollow Inn, Hot Lips Pizza. Java Bay
Café, Key Largo, La Pattisserie, Lewis & Clark
College, Locals Only, Marco's Pizza, Marylhurst
College. Mt. Hood CC, Music Millenium, Nature's
(two locations), NW Natural Gas, OHSU Medical
School, Old Wives Tales. Ozone Records, Papa Haydn,
PCC (four locations), PSU (two locations), Reed
College. Third Eye. TransCentral Library, & YWCA
Long Beach, WA: Pacific Picnics
N ahcotta, WA: Moby Dick Hotel
D u vall, WA: Duvall Books
S eattle, WA: Elliot Bay Book Co., Honey Bear
Bakery, New Orleans Restaurant, Still Life in Fremont
Allegro Coffeehouse, The Last Exit Coffee House, &
Bulldog News
L in d a
K i n h a n
1235 S. HEMLOCK
Cannon Beach
P.O. Box 25334, Portland, OR 97225
'R o b e r t 3 . ^ t r in e g g e r Luthier
7 A M — 2PM
Breakfast A Lunch
Closed Moo. fc Tues.
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Neahkahnie Oregon
503-368 6 2 7 0
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Portland. OR 97214
(503) 236-2088
FAX: (503) 236-1886
uPPLK LUT EùGt ùtCLKMÂ W 5
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108
TENTH
ASTORIA. OREGON 9 7 )03
STREET
TEL 5O3/325-545O