Dear_Sis@the_end_of_my_day.calm©
Two sisters and
their friends, share the joys of Larchmont motherhood
through E-mail.
 by
Val Estabrook
Date: 12-20-02
Send To: Val
From : Kim
Subject:School Exit Polls: Santa…fact or fiction?
Like my nephews, my girls believe in Santa, each in
her own fashion. I told you about Katie’s endless
wish list (see Is there
really a Santa Claus?).
Rose’s story begins today.
Holiday break. Schools out. Six crazy six year olds
in the van. Listening greedily for any 1st grade gossip,
I hear Rose confiding to her classmate, “Santa
is bringing me Shadow!” (Shadow is a dog…no
not the living kind…it’s robotic. It can
run, sit and speak on command and best of all has an
on-off button.) “Awesome,” her friend replies,
“but, how do you know for sure you’re gonna
get it?”
“Because…it’s on my LIST.”
WHAT LIST?!! I scream a silent scream and drive down
the wrong side of the island on Pine Brook, stopping
just short of that #!*#+ YIELD sign. “Rose,
darling, what else is on your list?” I inquire,
fondly recalling Katie’s less romantic yet
certainly more helpful approach to North Pole correspondence.
“Not much, Mommy. Shadow is pretty much IT.”
Calling upon God and all that is holy, please has
anyone seen Shadow…can Santa possibly find him
before Christmas?
Love, Kim
_____________________________________________________________
 >Date:
12-20-02
Send To: Val
CC: Kim
From: Ann
Subject: Have I put on weight?
I loved your Santa tale. Let me share one with you.
Charlie, my eight year old, had me stumped. He wanted
to know did I “put the presents from Santa under
the tree?” I said, “You mean do I believe
in Santa?” (a much easier question to dodge since
I do believe in the spirit & magic of Santa.) But
Charlie was laser sharp, saying “Be honest with
me, Mom, do you put the presents under the tree?”
Do I tell him there is a Santa…will kids disrespect
& make fun of him? I decided to buy myself another
year. They all want to believe. I said, “No, I
don’t put all those presents under the tree &
the proof is in the cookies & eggnog we leave out
for Santa. Would I drink 250 calories PER CUP just to
make it look like Santa drank it? Just to make it look
like there’s a Santa???” Charlie was speechless.
Let me know how it goes on Christmas.
Love to all, Ann
P.S.
Shadow has not been seen anywhere along Post Road. Wishing
Santa the best of luck.
_____________________________________________________________
Send To: Ann, Val
From : Kim
Subject: Is this what I’ve become?
So I’m northbound (or is it eastbound?) on Westchester
Avenue, on my cell phone, calling toy stores, praying
that blinking red light in the rear view mirror is a
caffeine-induced hallucination and not a state trooper.
Bingo! I see the toy store that ate Cleveland. Making
a hard left across three lanes to catch the exit, I
notice the lot is full except for one of those “Moms
with Babies” spaces. Luckily Rose’s old
infant car seat is permanently glued with you don’t
want to know what to the rear side door. I take the
spot.
I’m inside…I need air, can’t breath.
You know how I hate mob scenes. It’s not pretty.
Pushing, grabbing, body slams everywhere. Then I see
him, there, cowering behind Easy Bake Ovens in Aisle
45b…the store clerk dressed as a giraffe.
“I NEED SHADOW” I stutter. “Gone.”
he gasps, “all gone.” He points to a long,
empty shelf. “No, it can’t be,” I
mumble, down on all fours looking under the shelf. I
mimic the commercials and command: “Shadow come,”
“Shadow, speak!” Nothing. “Shadow…”
“Here,” the clerk says offering me a paper
bag (which is no small task for a giraffe). “Breath
into it…slowly.” The bag is soggy. I decline.
Merry Christmas Everybody,
Kim
Happy Holidays. Keep checking into Dear Sis as we dive
deeply into the season of unqualified love. Now that
would be a great gift for my children. If only I had
the time! I’ll be placing some of my readers’
E-mails in a January Dear Sis so please write to me
at val@larchmontgazette.com
and share your thoughts. Just click on this blue
link for an easy E-mail form.
Contributing writers in today’s column: Kim McCarthy
is a journalist, professional portrait photographer
and mother of three beautiful girls. Ann Pitts is an
art director, writer, certified soccer coach, and mother
of three wonderful kids.
Val and Kim Illustrations by Larchmont artist Sue
Girardi. "Ann" courtesy of Snobhollow.net
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