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DEL.ICIO.US“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.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: holiday
Comments
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By Edward
November 15, 2007 3:28 PM | Link to this
Have Gwinnett look like Amercia again…yep, round them up..send them back and NO press 1 for English. Merry Christmas.
By Lawrence
November 15, 2007 4:00 PM | Link to this
Edward,
Xenophobia and ignorance are part of what’s WRONG about Gwinnett. Join your brethren and move to Idaho so you can be closer to white militia groups!
By Sandy_G
November 15, 2007 4:24 PM | Link to this
Know what I’d like from Gwinnett county for Christmas?
1) For our elected officials to follow their own zoning codes, staff recommendations and the county land use plan.
2) For our elected officials to remember that they are working for US, Joe and Jane citizen, not developers and to not act offended, bored, or put out because we exercise our right to speak in opposition at public meetings.
3) For our elected officials to start thinking outside the box when it comes to what our county could be, could look like and how it could function. There are many, many new, innovative and creative ways to solve some of our transportation problems, education problems, infrastructure problems and quality of life problems that do not revolve around building more roads, destroying older neighborhoods, clear-cutting more trees, or paving over more acres of land.
and 4) I’d like for more of our citizens to get off of their duffs and participate in local government and local schools and for more people to vote. We should be directing our county officials to provide the types of decisions that make our lives and our county better and we shouldn’t take no for an answer. Any officials that don’t represent our needs, should be replaced through the voting booth.
By monteal
November 15, 2007 5:04 PM | Link to this
first id like to comment on Edwards wish … how sad that is the best he could come up with! I wonder if hes American Indian otherwise he should consider what he says could have been said about grand daddy or great grand daddy
By Jenny
November 16, 2007 7:50 AM | Link to this
I too wish for Gwinnett citizens to get more involved in public hearings and voicing their opinions. The public hearings are the most important times to get your opinions on record. Say no more strip malls and request better architectural designs for new buildings. Do that and Gwinnett will change for the better!