Editor:

My husband, our two children (Tre’, 9, and Chloe, 5) and I just attended the annual Daphne Christmas Parade.

Being born and raised in South Louisiana, attending parades is something we love to do! We’ve been in Daphne a little over four years and realize how fortunate we are to be able to take a short drive to the parade route, park our car close by and treat our kids to a fun outing.

The crowds are usually minimal, the throws are more than generous and the people are always friendly.

However, tonight’s Daphne Christmas parade was extra special.

As we watched the floats and bands pass by, we waved and offered Christmas wishes to the parade participants and caught our share of beads and candy. At the end of the line was Santa Claus riding high atop the firetruck. It almost appeared as though the firetruck was in slow motion as it rolled passed us while Santa was busy digging in his bag, searching for just the right toy. Once he found it, he stood upright and looked out at the crowd. Chloe, who was perched on her daddy’s shoulder, festively dressed with antlers and a painted red nose, waved and shouted, “Merry Christmas Santa!” At that moment, Santa looked at her and then softly tossed her the cutest Paddington Bear dressed up just like Santa Claus!

Chloe felt so very fortunate to have caught the Santa bear. On the way home, we noticed that the bear had a tag around his neck with a note that read, “Please look after this bear. Thank you.” When Chloe realized that the note must be from Santa, she knew what a special job she was given and was excited beyond belief. Santa was counting on her to do a good job taking care of Santa Bear.

Later in the evening, I mentioned to Chloe that when Santa first spotted her in the crowd, he may have thought that she was Rudolph since she was wearing antlers and her nose was painted red. She replied, “No way. He knew I was Chloe. He knows everyone’s name.”

She is asleep right now, holding on tightly to Santa Bear. I’ll bet that bear and the story about how Chloe received him from Santa Claus at the Daphne Christmas Parade will be handed down in our family for generations to come.

We truly appreciate all those who participate in these community events and want to extend an extra special thank-you to Santa Claus for all his hard work and for giving our family a memory we will always cherish.