On Christmas Eve of 1979 my family and I with a few friends of the family were sitting near the fire drinking Hot Cocoa and talking. When it started to get close to midnight my Dad told me and my sister that we better go to bed right then so Santa Clause would leave us some presents. He said "If you are still up when Santa comes he will pass up this house". Well I was 9 at the time and was starting not to belive in Santa Clause. So without letting my sister hear (she was only 5) I told my Dad that I didn't belive in Santa Clause anymore. My friends Dad got up and left the room. I thought that he had just gotten up to go to the bathroom. At the stroke of midnight I hear something on the roof. I looked up and then I hear "HO HO HO Merry Christmas!" In a loud booming voice. Dad looks at me and says "Santa Clause really is real". I have a shocked look on my face as I looked at my Dad. I got up quickly and ran to my room and jumped in bed. So did my sister. It took me a long time to get to sleep. I had been so sure that Santa was not real. I had just heard Santa on my roof! I was afraid that if I was still awake when Santa Clause came down the chimney he wouldn't leave me any presents. I had never seen Santa Clause but that night I had heard him. Finally I drifted off to sleep. The next morning there were lots of presents under the Christmas Tree. I was so relieved and happy, Santa had brought me and my sister presents. We all had a Great Christmas that day. We coverd the floor with wrapping paper as we opened our presents. ....... Years later I learned that my friends Dad who had left the room that night, had gone up on the roof and pretended to be Santa Clause. ~Written by~Erin O'Malley~