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Thursday, November 15, 2007
“Santa says dream big”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I didn’t sit on his lap.
But I did get the chance to sit next to him when kids weren’t around. The Badie Tour stopped by Discover Mills mall on Wednesday to shore up my wish list for Gwinnett County. (More on that later.)
Last year, this mall had one of the most authentic-looking Santas I’d ever seen. A real-beard guy. This year’s St. Nick didn’t disappoint. That’s because he’s Richard Warren Hyman, the same Santa the Lawrenceville mall employed last year to coax kids into talking and to quiet babies who don’t understand why mom has thrust them into the arms of a stranger in a red suit.
He’s played Santa for 37 years, all over the world, thanks to a career as an aviation security adviser with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Last December, I wrote about Hyman - how real he looked; how popular he’d been with shoppers; and how he seemed genuinely interested in giving the kids, and their parents, a joyful experience.
This year is no different.
Glynis Riescher and Ryan, her 5-year-old son, happened to stop by Santa’s Shop the same time as the Badie Tour. Ryan was the first kid Santa talked to when the shop reopened at 2 o’clock.
“I just have one thing I want,” Ryan told me before climbing atop Santa’s lap. “A [toy] baseball stadium.”
Of course, he just might get it. After all, you have to believe - in the magic, spirit, the goodwill of the season. It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year despite the craziness of midnight madness sales and such. It’s a message that Hyman, of Snellville, proudly portrays and tries to convey to kids, especially teens.
Once older kids learn where the gifts come from, they start to shun St. Nick. Like it’s a rite of passage. And in Hyman’s opinion, a very misguided one.
See, it’s not whether you believe in Santa, the person in the red suit. Just respect the bigger picture, the meaning of it.
“When I was young, kids believed in Santa, the spirit and magic of it, if you will, till they were 12 or 13 years old,” said Hyman, 61, who has chatted with about 800 kids since the Santa shop opened Saturday.
“They used to run to Santa. Growing up today, by the age of 6 or 7, they shy away when they see one. Why take the excitement, that sense of Christmas, away from a child” Why not leave them with memories and let them enjoy them when they are older?”
For you Grinches, well, Hyman has a suggestion. Make a wish list. Dream big.
To that end, I compiled a county wish list. My wishes are that Santa helps us:
*Combat crime.
*Stick to the land-use plan.
*Be more attentive to our youth.
*Exhibit more goodwill to the needy.
*Build a homeless shelter.
*Live the true meaning of the holiday season every single day.
You’ve seen Rick’s wish list. What about yours? What would you ask Santa to do for Gwinnett? Tell us about it at www.ajc.com/gwinnett.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in the AJC Gwinnett News and online. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or rbadie@ajc.com.
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