Hi there, guys and dolls! Hope you all had a harmoniously happy holidays! Yours truly had a lovely time eating, drinking and being merry. Of course, nothing fits any more, but that’s okay. January sales are right around the corner!

Anyhoo, I’d rather have my weighty problems than the dilemma that’s wreaking havoc in the house down the block… Let me tell you what I heard all about at bridge night.

As per usual, the holiday season brings tons of open house parties to the neighborhoods. Everybody’s floating around the block, half corked going from one social shindig to the other, hors d’oeuvres in hand, martini glass in the other, someone else’s spouse on your lap, that sort of thing. All great fun.

Until the unbelievable happens – Mommy kisses the wrong Santa Claus, or so she said. At least, that’s the story that Linda May (the ‘Mommy’) is sticking to. Here’s what she says happened (a likely story…). Apparently, Linda May and her husband Ralph were hosting their open house before floating off to across the street for Betty’s party and as they were trimming the tree, all the merry makers were talking about playing Santa for their little kiddies. Sigh, so sweet and fun, it started out to be… until Charlie had this great idea to surprise the whole gang by showing up as a surprise Santa to all his nearest and dearest friends. Unbeknownst to anyone, he thought this would be such a lark!

And it turns out it was! There he went, house to house, leaving cheer and good will and a few little presents along the way. And by the sounds of it, he got a few in return, even when there wasn’t any mistletoe in sight. See, Charlie’s a good looking guy, even under all those fake whiskers. And wouldn’t you know it, not one wife complained at seeing him in their house, what a delightful surprise! Certainly Linda May sure enjoyed the not-so secret Santa. That was until her kids got an eyeful. The little sneaks got up out of bed, thinking they’d catch Santa eating the cookies and leaving their goodies. The kids shrieked, Linda May jumped out of Santa Charlie’s arms, startling husband Ralph who was just coming on the scene in his own Santa suit.

And then the brawling Santas began. To cut a long story short, after a left hook here and a right hook there, the only thing Charlie wanted for Christmas was his two front teeth….

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts. And don’t forget to give my Poppy Cove Mysteries a try if you haven’t already. 

Toodles, Barbara Jean