Being Good, For Goodness’ Sake

(Every weekday morning my church has a coffee bar where anyone can come in and have unlimited tea, coffee, cakes, and biscuits for £1. One of our regulars is a mentally disabled woman in her 40s who comes in almost every day with a carer. One morning as she’s coming in she runs into my friend, who is trying on his costume to be Santa at the children’s Christmas party the following week.)

Regular: *to carer* “It’s Santa. I don’t like Santa. Santa’s loud.”

Carer: “It’s all right. Remember I told you Santa’s a nice man. ”

Friend: *gently* “Hello, [Regular].”

Regular: *amazed* “Santa knows my name!”

Friend: “Of course I do, [Regular]. That’s why I came here this morning. I was checking my list and I saw you’d been a good girl this year. I wanted to make sure I got you the right present for being so good. Would you like some nice chocolates?”

Regular: “Yes, please, Santa.”

Friend: “Well, I’ll make sure they get to you on Christmas morning. Is that okay with you, [Regular]?”

Regular: “Yes, Santa. Thank you, Santa.”

Friend: “You’ve earned it by being so good. Now I have to go upstairs and make sure [Minister] remembers to put the carrots out for Rudolph. She forgot last year. Merry Christmas, [Regular].”

Regular: “Merry Christmas, Santa.”

(She told all of us for the rest of the week that Santa knew her name and my friend made sure a box of chocolates was given to her carer so she did get her present from Santa that year.)