December 31 , 2020 The Beacon • 11

I grew up in a large family and was the youngest of eight children . My siblings said I was spoiled because I was the baby and had it easy . My mother and father were both blue collar workers , and they struggled to make ends meet . My dad was a milkman , and Mom did many different jobs over the years . Even though they struggled to make ends meet , they made each holiday special .

Christmas never brought large , high-dollar gifts , but it always brought many traditions and lots of joy . For example , my father would dress up as Santa Clause . Often he was asked by the church or community organization to play Santa Clause at an event or party . My dad was a big man with a big belly , so he fit the costume just right . It is so fun to look back at the pictures and see myself sitting on “ Santa ’ s ” lap with that silly , little grin on my face pretending I didn ’ t know who was in the Santa suit .

I still reminisce over pictures of my older brothers and sisters and even my mother sitting on “ Santa ’ s ” lap . Regardless of their age and the redundancy from year to year , their smiles gleaned from ear to ear . Dad ’ s Santa suit even became an honorary dress-up opportunity when our parents were gone . As teenagers we secretly pulled the Santa suit from Dad ’ s closet and had a photoshoot . We didn ’ t tell our parents . We let them develop the film and be surprised when they got the pictures back . I ’ m surprised we didn ’ t get into

Allison Renee Prouty was named to the dean ’ s list for the 2020 fall semester at Mount Vernon Nazarene University . The dean ’ s list includes all students who carried a minimum of 12 credit hours and maintained a GPA of 3.5 or above for the semester .

Prouty , a freshman majoring in communication studies , is a 2020 graduate of River View High School and the daughter of Randy and Darlene Prouty of Warsaw .

trouble for that one .

These are great memories for my family . My father passed away in 2002 , and it brings me comfort thinking back on these memories every Christmas season . Dad always enjoyed playing Santa Claus for people . It wasn ’ t something they had to talk him into doing or something he complained about . It was truly a joy for him , and he loved playing the part of Santa Claus .

I know there are a lot of fathers out there that play Santa Claus for their families and others . Some may not enjoy putting on that Santa Claus suit as much as my dad did , but they still do it because it is going to make children happy and that is what a father does . Other fathers may not need

Step 1 - Wait for it to snow - don ’ t give up !

Step 2 - Gather the family - The more the merrier !

Step 3 - Build an AWESOME Snowman

( dad must participate ) - Be creative ! Step 4 - Snap a pic or take a video

( must include dad ) - You ’ re almost done !

Step 5 - Upload your picture or video to Coshocton County Fatherhood Initiative page for a chance to WIN valuable prizes to dress up as Santa . Instead , they work hard to make sure their children have a great Christmas by creating special memories and traditions .

There are so many traditions and activities a father can do and create with his children . One father may put up a lot of Christmas lights outside , and another may drive his children around to look at the Christmas lights .

One may sled ride with his children , and another may build snowmen . No matter what a dad chooses to do for his children , they will remember the moment for a lifetime .

This column was written by Mary McCune , a Coshocton County Fatherhood Initiative committee member from Coshocton County Head Start .