Okay one last story of Santa Larry.  This tale came from The Dalles Chronicle and is written a ‘while’ later as best I can remember.

A couple years ago he was on his Santa Clause route when he spotted a fire in a house (or barn, can’t remember which) out Mill Creek a road that goes into the hills south of town.  No one was at the house.  He had no cell phone service.  He quickly went to the nearest house and banged on the door; the door was opened by the occupant, who as you can imagine, was quite surprised to see this Gigantic Santa on her front porch.  “There is a house/barn on fire down the road!” he tells her, “call 9-1-1!”  She hesitated for a few moments but he finally made her realize he was serious.  She called 9-1-1. 

The phone call was answered and I imagine it went something close to this:

The lady says “I want to report a fire in a house about 1/2 mile down the road.” 

The operator says, “Can you see it from your house?  How big is the fire?”

The lady:  “No, someone stopped by here and told me.”

Operator:  “What’s his name?”

Lady:  hesitation, “Santa Claus.”

Operator:  “Who did you say?  Santa Claus?”  Thinking this was a prank call of course, but also realizing this wasn’t a kid calling her.

Lady:  “Yes!  I am serious, there is a man dressed as Santa Claus who is telling me the house is on fire.”

Operator:  “What is his real name?”  Evidently this operator did not know of Larry’s alter ego.

Lady asks Santa and then:  “It is Larry.”

The fire department was sent.

Better be nice, never know when Santa might come knocking at your door on Christmas Eve.

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“On the night before Christmas, find a quiet moment when you can think about what was about to happen in Bethlehem so many years ago. Think about all the ways you need someone to be your savior—someone who has the strength, the wisdom, the virtue that you know you cannot come up with on your own.”  - Mel Lawrenz

Luke 2:16-20  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

¹⁷ And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

¹⁸ And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. KJV

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. KJV

That says it all,

Thank you, Lord, for your gift of life.

Later, Art (-: