Letter: My vintage Santa decoration has a story, too
Wooden Santa decoration. Credit: Kathy Nagel
I was excited to read the piece by Patricia Rossi in the Dec. 20, 2015, edition of Newsday regarding her quest to find a wooden Santa that was like the one her father made in the 1950s.
I, too, have memories of the exact same Santa made by my father around the same time. Not only did my father make the Santa by hand from a pattern bought from a hardware store, but he also made six reindeer (with ping-pong ball eyes) and a giant sleigh. The entire set was displayed every year at our house in Bellerose Village. For a few years my father ran wire from the chimney to a tree on the edge of our property so it would seem that Santa and his entourage were actually flying.
As the years went on, and displaying so many Christmas items became impossible for my father, I took Santa and one reindeer, and to this day they grace the front of my house in Syosset each holiday season.
Ms. Rossi's fond remembrances mirror my own, and I am so happy that she was able to find her Santa. I will attach Ms. Rossi's article to Santa from now on in memory of BOTH of our fathers!
Kathy Nagel, Syosset
