We told him Santa looked creepy, not jolly, and that we should just retire the decoration. So, naturally, my Dad made the Santa face into a game. Every year he would hang THE Santa face, as it became known, in a new place outside on a timer and scare us the first time it came on. He got such a kick out of this and enjoyed the annual challenge of finding a new place for Santa when he decorated. As we grew older, Dad said that the kid that had the first grandchild would inherit the Santa face to follow the tradition. Lucky me! I am now the proud owner of the Santa face. My husband has embraced the family tradition and now strategically moves the Santa face when he puts up our outside decorations. My father passed away last year, and putting up the Santa face was hard without Dad stopping by to make a joke about how it’s the best decoration at the house. But, we will always continue the Santa face tradition in Dad’s honor.

Lindsay Walker, Charlotte, a member of Blue Ridge Energy