English: Thomas Nast’s most famous drawing, “Merry Old Santa Claus” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In about the 2nd grade, there was a boy in my class who wore the same old, ratty shoes every day.  I remember finding out that his family didn’t have enough money to buy him a new pair.  We weren’t well-off either but I had shoes that fit, without holes, and more than just a single pair.

I don’t recall any details of how it happened, but my wonderful parents decided to buy this boy new shoes.  My dad came into school one day just before Christmas and waited in the principal’s office.  They called the boy out of class and presented him with his new pair of shoes.

What I do distinctly remember is that the boy, flushed with excitement, came running back to the classroom shouting “Santa Claus was here, and gave me shoes!”

Now, my Dad didn’t have white hair back then – it was more reddish – but he did have a full beard (also red) and otherwise kind of fit the description.  Close enough for a young boy to really believe that Santa came and brought him a present.

I’ve never been more proud of my family and, as a kid, I never told anyone who brought the shoes.  I still think about that boy at Christmas, and wonder if he still thinks of “Santa” too.