One of the happiest times of my childhood, I spent in Sidon. My family lived there about three years.
We took long walks around the town on Sunday afternoons before we came back to the house and watched Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan wrestle a couple of crocodiles. Miss Mattie Scott was my first-grade teacher at Leflore County High School.
It was nearly 44 years ago that I witnessed something that has stuck with me all this time. Nothing has ever matched it.
One Friday in late November, my mamma and daddy loaded my sister and me up in our sedan and brought us to Greenwood. We generally came to town with Mamma to buy groceries at the Big Star, but this Friday, Pops came with us, too.
We parked and walked up near the old picture show. I don't exactly remember the name. I think it was the Leflore Theater. We stood at the side of the street and waited what seemed like - at least for a 6-year-old girl - an eternity.
Then, I heard it.
Christmas carols struck up by a band. The clack-clack of snare drums and the oompah of tubas echoed down the street way in advance of the first baton-twirling majorettes.
The air had a bit of a nip in it. I grasped my sister's hand so hard out of excitement, she jerked away.
Then, the parade turned the corner and for a long time - but not too long because time passes so fast when you're young and having fun - I heard the trumpets and felt the vibration of the bass drums and waved at men and women and boys and girls atop floats.
And all this led up to the best part - Santa Claus came to town.
Still a true believer, my mouth fell open and my eyes grew wide. I waved with all my might, hoping St. Nick would spot me in the crowd and know that I really didn't mean to pop my sister's head when she wouldn't scoot over on the back seat last summer.
Well, OK, maybe I meant to a little bit, but that was a momentary lapse in deportment.
I looked up at Mamma. "Is that the real Santa Claus?"
Ever the liar, Mamma answered, "Yes, straight from Macy's."
Everybody and anybody who had watched "Miracle on 34th Street" knew that the real Santa Claus came from Macy's.
Why, he must have hopped on his sleigh stored in the department store's basement and come down to Greenwood just to see us.
That's the memory.
Now, I'm back in Greenwood in time for the Dec. 2 Delta Band Festival
I'll probably stand in front of The Alluvian to wait for the bands. I'll probably get a little misty when the first rat-a-tat-tat reverberates down the street.
The other day, Beth Henderson, the executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce, dropped by the office to talk about the parade.
This is its 70th year, and it's bigger and better than in a lot of years.
And much of the parade's success depends on folks like us, Beth said, who will donate to keep the parade going.
No amount is too big or too small, she added. Someone who lives on the Boulevard anted up $1,500 the other day. Somebody else chipped in $25. And a host of people have filled in-between slots.
I'm getting out my checkbook to donate a little.
After all, I want some little girl or boy to have great memories of seeing the real Santa Claus in Greenwood, Mississippi.
