Santa came today.

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There's this charity called the round table, I don't know if that's their real name, and I don't know exactly what they do, but every year they get someone to dress up as Santa and he goes round the streets in Lichfield on a float, playing Christmas carols and shouting Merry Christmas! at the top of his lungs! He's accompanied by charity donation collectors who come round and collect your charity donations. But there is no pressure to give. When me and my brother David were kids, we used to like to follow Santa round the street. When it was snowing some of the kids used to throw snowballs at the back of his float. His float was always bigger back then, on a large truck, with lights made up of single bulbs around his float. These days the float seems to be smaller, in fact it's been reduced to not much more than a sleigh with fluorescent tubing to light it instead of the individual bulbs like it used to have, and it's just pulled by an ordinary car. (No, not Rudolph. I know what you were thinking! ) For the last couple of years he's always come on December 1st, and we've always nearly missed him. I remember thinking that someone was hooning around outside with loud music in their car - then I realised it was Santa and I had to run to the window! My Mum takes even longer to get up and get to the door! So I decided that wasn't going to happen this year! This year I was going to be ready! So, as soon as I'd finished my dinner I started to listen out for him. This was about 5:30pm. At about 6:00pm I went and opened the back door to see if I could hear him. I did it a few times and then I clearly heard a voice booming Merry Christmas! So I ran into the dining room where my Mum and step-dad were finishing off their dinners and I said, I heard him! I don't know how far away he is, but I heard him! So, while I was washing up at 6:30pm, I opened the window in the kitchen by the sink to see if I could hear him, but the sound of the boiler was drowning out anything I may have heard! After I'd washed up I kept going in and out of the kitchen to see if he was coming yet. I'd left the blinds open so I could see and I kept the light off so I could see out better. It was bitterly cold outside and a fog was starting to descend. Every time I thought I heard something I was up on my feet again and into the kitchen. My Mum said to me, I think you're having me on, but I said, No, I did hear him, honest I did! I said he usually comes when EastEnders is on, but it's Friday today, no EastEnders! EastEnders is on at 7:30pm, but 7:30pm came and went, and still no Santa. 8:00pm came and went, and still no Santa. I said I think he's gone home! I thought I heard something again, so I went into the kitchen. After a few minutes I thought I could see blue lights at the end of our street (as far as I could see.) I shouted Mum! I think he's coming! And she said, are you sure? I said yes, the men in yellow jackets are coming! (The charity collectors always seem to proceed the float.) So Mum got up as fast as she could (which isn't very fast) to get to the door to give a donation to one of the charity collectors. By the time she got to the door Santa was right smack bang infront of our house! My Mum likes the florescent tube lighting on Santas float. Santa waved at my Mum! So Santa came at about 8:45pm. He stopped at the other end of our street and shouted Merry Christmas! We could still see his lights from where we were. I went to the door to look because I couldn't see that far down the street from the kitchen window. Afterwards I asked my Mum if she thought it was worth the wait, and she said yes. I said, see, I told you I heard him! and she said, I did believe you, and I said, you said I think you're having me on! Do you have a Santa who comes round your area around Christmas time?