Christmas Spirit

"Hello there! My name is Ivy the Elf and these are magical wands that help bring Santa.  You have to wave them around in the air as high as you can so Santa will see them and be able to find his way here! Just pull out the tab and press the button in order to let the magical lights glow!"

During Santa's grand arrival to City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City, this was my job.
Piece of cake, right? All I had to do was hand out glowsticks and tell children to wave them around. I was instructed to give out one per child, and absolutely none to adults since we had a limited supply. However, as soon as I took my first step into Rgenent Court the task no longer seemed easy. A swarm of people surrounded me immediately. There were hands coming from every direction grabbing handfuls of the lights at a time. People were shouting and and pushing in order to get their children the desired "magic sticks." I was squeezed in the middle, eyes shut, bracing myself from the rowdy crowd. My cheery elf costume and make-up must have looked more timid than festive at this point. I could barely squeak out "please, just take one" let alone my entire rehearsed dialogue. In a matter of minutes, the path cleared. I looked down in my basket. There lay one lone broken glowstick. How generous.

 Hesistantly, I found the manager and asked for my second basket to continue on with my mission. To my relief, the parents with the most "christmas spirit" had already taken what they desired. The rest of the night I was able to stay in character. Jolly and energetic, I paced the court handing out the remaining Christmas magic, explaining how Santa would soon arrive. The children were grinning in anticipation of what was to come and I felt myself return to my inner child. Sharing in the delight, the ceremoney began.

Holly Elf stood aside the MC next to the fireplace and told a beautiful christmas story to the hypnotized crowd. "She was a sugar plum fairy. He was a toy soldier. Theirs was the most unlikely love story that could ever be..." she began, enticing all who listened. After the story, the MC reminded the children to wave their sticks as high as they could to help Santa arrive. Within a few seconds there colorful fireworks shot up. Santa arrived swiftly on a near by rooftop.  The kids continued to wave their sticks and more fireworks were released on a new rooftop where santa reappeared. This happened a third time with the big man himself landing on stage right next to the MC. With a big rumbling laugh, and a few kind words, the ceremoney came to a close.

I spent the next hour posing for pictures wit children of all ages and sizes. Next to Jack Frost and Mrs. Frost, my grin stayed plastered for what seemed like an eternity. By the end of the night, I was exhausted. My night was filled with terror, excitement, wonder, and fatigue. Thank goodness Santa only arrives once a year.