I haven’t updated this blog in awhile; honestly, things were just so depressing that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I could spend a few paragraphs updating everyone on how Brady broke his finger, how DA got hurt, how Dorsey hurt his rib, the last loss to Pittsburgh, or heck, I could even write about how Shaun Smith punched Brady in the face. Yeah, I could write about those stories – but you already know them and lets be honest – you don’t want to hear them again. Instead, today, I will tell you about the Cincinnati game.
You must think I am insane to even bring up such a meaningless game (that we lost anyway). I have good reason, believe me…
A couple weeks before Christmas I was informed by Emily that her mom got me “a very thoughtful” gift and I needed to put some serious thought into what I would get her. Unfortunately, Mrs. Hamburg is a lot like my mother – impossible to predict what she wants. I thought about it for awhile and could not come up with anything; I turned to Emily. Of course she had no idea either, her mom is, after all, impossible to shop for. At this point I figured I should ask my mom what to get her – she suggested a book on Obama. I quickly purchased the book and felt good about it. I left to visit my sister in Chicago the next day.
I returned from Chicago on Sunday morning, right before the game. My parents were still in Chicago so we got their club tickets and I gave mine to my friend Rich and his brother Brian. They don’t get to go to the stadium much so I think they appreciated seeing a game – even if it was freezing cold and meant nothing.
Emily picked me up at the airport and we began to drive back to my place so I could get my Browns gear. On the ride home she told me that I had to open her mother’s gift to me before we went down to the game. I was completely dumbfounded as to what it could be.
Once we got home I brought the large box into the kitchen and placed it on the counter. It was a regular brown box – not giving any hint as to where it came from or what it contained. Before I was allowed to begin opening the gift Emily had to get her mom on speaker phone so she could her my reaction. At this point I was really wondering what it was, but remained calm.
I got the signal from Emily and began to cut open the box. I used grandma Shields precision while opening the box – I carefully cut the tape so cleanly that it could be used again . As I pulled the flaps open I was overwhelmed with a brightness…it was glowing orange (that is how I remember it anyway). I quickly lifted the felt fabric from the box and held it high – I immediately knew what it was.
It was every grown man’s dream (Clevelander anyway)! Apparently Santa Claus needed another helper in the Cleveland area and commissioned Mrs. Hamburg to make me a suit. What made this suit so special is that it was not just any suit – it was a Cleveland Browns Santa Suit. I immediately got changed into it, making sure that all my accessories were in order – my hair, beard, and glasses were all perfectly aligned. It was glorious and hilarious all at the same time. Rich and Brian came by to drive down and were in awe at the sight.
As we drove down to the stadium I felt this wave of responsibility come over me. I was working for Santa Claus today – This was serious business…I had a reputation to hold up. As we walked to the stadium I found myself yelling “Merry Christmas” and “Ho Ho Ho” to the best of my ability. I got a few happy responses and people seemed to enjoy it. Watching the kids reactions to Santa Claus was the best hands down. Their eyes would widen and they would get so excited that they couldn’t even move. As I would pass by I would hear their parents say “Look, even Santa Claus is a Browns fan.”
Emily and I tried to sit in our seats once we got into the stadium. There was a problem though – it was cold outside, the game meant nothing, and I had a suit to show off. We made our way back inside to the club area. We walked in circles around the area – groups of women would take their picture with me and I would shout Merry Christmas on occasion. Something I did notice as we walked around is the amount of respect that Santa Claus gets. Usually at Browns games you need to lower your shoulder like as though you are Jim Brown and try to push through people to get where you needed to go. Things were a lot different with the suit – people would say excuse me, and get out of my way. Grown men would ask me for a win for Christmas. Sadly, even Santa Claus can’t control such things – he specializes mostly in toys and ponies.
As we walked around we came across this one boy. He must have been about 4 years old. He stood as tall as he could and looked straight up at me. He was in such shock he could not move. I simply smiled at him and said Merry Christmas as I walked by. As Emily and I rounded the club section again we came across the same little boy, again I smiled and walked by. A couple minutes later I felt this tug on my pants. Sure enough this little guy tracked us down (with mom’s help). I knelt down to hear him ask, “Can I get a picture with you Santa Claus?” As we were taking the picture I passed on my information I received from the boss in the north pole: All good boys are Cleveland Browns fans. Before parting ways, I made sure to get his wish list and passed it a long to the boss.
Looking back at that game, I have to say it is among my top 5 most memoriable Browns games. Sure, I will be working for Santa Claus again next year, but there is something about that first day on the job that makes it so special. It won’t be to long before I forget about the actual game played that day, but I will remember opening that box and that little boy for the rest of my life.
