Dialing up Christmas magic

Coeur d'Alene is a great Christmas town. The season brings out the best in people who donate their time, talent and hard-earned cash for good causes.

I would like to thank Coeur d'Alene Kiwanis, who sponsored a direct phone link to the North Pole through Pioneer Title. My two sons each were able to spend five minutes on the phone with Santa Claus.

On Wednesday night, my youngest son, Joshua, approached me with a piece of paper and said he wanted to talk to Santa. The note was from his school, advising parents that Santa was available by phone from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday. I looked at the clock and it was 7:30!

I wondered how long that was in his backpack and then I wondered where he learned about waiting until the last minute.

My first-grader wanted to make the call, so I let him. His eyes twinkled and he put the phone to his side and said, “It’s ringing.” I put the phone back up to his ear as Mrs. Santa Claus came on the line.

I could hear her cheery voice as she asked him a series of questions about being good and what he wanted for Christmas. I could feel magic happening as I watched him talk.

Afterward, my oldest, Aidan, emerged from another room and he wanted to talk to Santa Claus, too. The line was supposed to be for kindergartners and first-graders only. Aidan is in fourth grade.

After a quick discussion, we decided to call back —- paydirt — the big guy — Santa.

Aidan’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. His little grin grew to a smile. Santa’s voice was booming. After a series of questions that prompted answers like, “yes, Coeur d’Alene, yes, no, pretty good,” Aidan wandered out of earshot. Whatever he and Santa talked about, I’ll never know. Aidan did mention leaving out a carrot for the reindeer.

When the call was over, Josh was disappointed because he wanted to talk to Santa, too. I can’t blame him. Mrs. Claus is nice, but there’s only one Santa. So, I called back, thinking there was no chance because it was almost 8 p.m.

I got through and said hello, “This sounds like an adult! HO HO HO!” Santa boomed. I explained the situation and handed the phone to Josh, who smiled broadly. Santa and Josh talked for a while and then Josh said, “OK, I think I am done talking now. Merry Christmas.”

I heard Santa exclaim, “Merry Christmas” and the call was over.

Yes, Coeur d’Alene is a great town. It’s a place where you can still believe.

Marc Stewart is the Director of Sponsored Content for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached at mstewart@cdapress.com or at (208) 416-5109.