Could this be true?

Something quite astonishing has happened. Something I thought I had lost forever seems to have turned up again. A thing that many profess to have and many others have beaten down by working retail. I worked retail for so many years that I was certain this precious thing had been trampled out of me by those horrible, menacing, cut-throat shoppers that stampede through stores every year on Black Friday. To make it more devastating, I worked in loss prevention. Well, the cheerful shoplifters and dishonest employees are few and far between. And the occasionally cheerful one is generally hyped up on PCP or some other illicit substance. The birth of my daughter precipitated my rapid departure from my position as a Regional Manager of Loss Prevention for a national retailer. There was no way I was going to be gone on overnight travel 2 or 3 nights per week even once a month, let alone the 2 or 3 weeks a month I had been doing. I left without a backwards glance, thrilled to be a stay-at-home mom for this most entrancing little creature. Am I scarred? Absolutely. I can't walk through a store without spotting a shoplifter or store detective. It's just in my bones. (And really that's a good thing, as I do plan to return to the field when my little charge goes off to first grade.) However, it now seems that after a long reprieve from working retail, my holiday cheer seems to be resurfacing. I truly thought it was gone forever. Yesterday's tree decorating escapades, which made me smile inside, sent me off shopping while Thea was at school (AKA day care) today. What fun I had! I wiped out many family gifts at BJ's and despite a full carriage, spent far less than I thought I would. I continued on my merry way, credit card at the ready, and had a terrific time walking the malls, shopping the toy stores, the department stores and everything in between. After retrieving the lovely Thea from school, we went over to a small mall to check out TJ Maxx and More. After a decidedly unsuccessful trip through there, we strolled onward. And there he was. The Great Man in Red. Sitting upon his lofty thrown. Several weeks ago, my brave girl would not even wave at the Great Man. Today, not only did she wave, she spoke, she sat, she even shared her great holiday gift wish. It was entirely too sweet, and Mommy loved every proud minute! Thea and Santa!