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December 25, 2009
Exclusive: Santa’s 2004 Trek – Baghdad to Arkansas
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house…..
It was December, 2004, and my husband, Mark, had been in Iraq for 11 months working as a private military contactor. It was the first Christmas our close family had been separated and I was determined to make it special for our five-year-old son, Lee, who missed his dad even more over the holidays.
The Christmas cookies were baked and delivered to various businesses in town we frequented – the local auto parts store that helped me keep good wiper blades and other necessities on my pick-up while Mark was away; our insurance agent; our sheriff’s office. Presents to Mark had long ago been bought and sent overseas with lots of cookies for his crew and the wonderful soldiers who protected their convoys every night from the enemy.
Living in a rural area, Lee left nothing to chance, building a reindeer runway out of neon light sticks to guide Santa through the pine woods and to land safely in the front yard. As Christmas Eve wore on, our favorite movies watched, we logged on to NORAD to monitor Santa’s progress. It wouldn’t be long before Rudolph would lead the pack across South Arkansas and to our place in the woods.
Lee brewed a fresh pot of coffee with a little help from Mom, selected with care the prettiest Christmas cookies and set them on a plate, carrying them to the living room. Placing the plate on the table by the couch, Lee sat in front of the computer solemnly looking at the screen. The NORAD tracking system showed Santa in far away places across the globe when…it happened.
Excited, Lee directed me to the little sleigh icon, which had landed at Baghdad International Airport, his Dad’s home for these many months. It was with great awe that he wondered if Mark, the other contractors and the soldiers would be the recipients of the great treasures in the big sack, so carefully packed by little elves. There was no concern over Santa’s safety. The 1544th Transportation Company, Illinois National Guard, and the 497th Transportation Company out of Fort Lewis, Washington, had expertly and heroically kept his Dad from harm as they made their nightly missions across the war-torn desert country, so we just knew they would be doing the same for Santa.
Relief washed over us both as Santa made it out of the Middle East without a scratch and began the long journey across the Atlantic to North America. Lee made his final check of the night – runway lit with a salt block at the end as a treat for the reindeer, cookies and milk for Santa, coffee brewing. Staying close to the computer, I alerted Lee that Santa had, in fact, entered Mississippi which meant that Arkansas was not too far behind on the schedule. In a flash, the young boy was in bed, lights out, covers pulled over his head.
As the sun rose across the South Arkansas sky Christmas morning, I was awakened by the sound of a delighted boy who had made an amazing discovery. Under the tree, which had barely a box underneath the night before, were presents stacked high. On the tags bore a very special greeting – To Lee, Love Dad. Santa had another mission during his stop at BIAP, it turned out, as Lee told me Dad must have put them in the sleigh as jolly old St. Nick made his deliveries there.
With the help of modern technology, Mark was able to enjoy Christmas with us, as I uploaded photos and video, emailing them as the day’s festivities continued. But most importantly, it was the magic and wonder of an ages-old Christmas legend that delivered a special magic to one little boy’s dreams that year.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Renee Taylor is a licensed private investigator with The Taylor Company, an investigations and research company based in Warren, Bradley County, Arkansas, as well as an Arkansas licensed bailbond agent for Bryce’s Bailbonding, Inc.
Reader Comments: Submit Your Comment (1)
As always Renee, you write things that hold our interest and give wonderful glimpses into your life.
Very good story.
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