DOJ probe of Catholic church abuse goes quiet 2 years later

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Wreaths honor veterans

The holidays are filled with traditions and stories of holiday memories that warm our hearts every year.
				I have several, but one is a favorite.
				It&rsquo;s the tale of the Santa Toilet Seat Cover.
				Here it is:
				A few years ago I was browsing the aisles at Bed, Bath & Beyond when I came upon the best-looking Santa decoration I had ever seen. It was a great resemblance of the jolly old elf, and I knew I had to have it.
				So I picked it up and looked at the package, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but this:
				&ldquo;Santa Claus Toilet Seat Cover.&rdquo;
				What!?!?!?!
				My mind started racing. I could not believe that anybody would make a toilet seat cover in Santa&rsquo;s likeness and, besides that, who the heck would even consider putting Santa on their toilet seat? I mean, what kind of message would that send to children?
				Upon further investigation, I determined that I could take this ill-conceived idea and make it better. I purchased the Santa cover and I placed it on my front door &#8211; in a place of prominence for the whole world to see.
				The first day Santa was displayed, my neighbor noticed it and asked where I got it. She, too, thought it was a spectacular Santa likeness. I told her where I got it, and I offered to get one for her. The cost was minimal, something like $7.95.
				So, I returned to Bed, Bath & Beyond and went to the area where I had found my toilet-seat-now-front-door-decoration Santa. A woman was there, holding one of the items in her hand and looking at it rather intently. Finally, I had to ask.
				&ldquo;You&rsquo;re not going to put that on your toilet, are you?&rdquo; I asked.
				The woman looked at me rather perplexed and informed me that, after all, it was a toilet seat cover. I think she might have thought I was crazy. I persisted.
				&ldquo;I know what it says,&rdquo; I said. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s appropriate to put Santa&rsquo;s face on a toilet seat.&rdquo;
				I told her I had purchased one. She asked me, with some attitude, what I had done with my Santa.
				&ldquo;I put it on my front door,&rdquo; I proudly told her. &ldquo;Santa should be displayed respectfully, don&rsquo;t you think?&rdquo;
				At this point, the woman looked at Santa again. This time, I could tell she had a new perspective. She told me she was going to buy two of the Santa toilet seat covers &mdash; one for herself and one for her daughter. And, she said, they would be placed on their front doors as well.
				As she headed for the checkout, I smiled and felt really good about what had just happened.
				I grabbed another Santa for my neighbor and got in line.
				This was several years ago and, as you can see in the attached picture, Santa still looks as cheerful as ever.
				Perhaps it&rsquo;s because it is made of high quality materials.
				Or maybe, just maybe, this Santa is eternally grateful that he adorns my front door, rather than somebody&rsquo;s toilet seat.
				Anytime you have the opportunity to appreciate someone&rsquo;s idea &mdash; the Santa is spectacular &mdash; and improve it, go for it.
				I will tell you I have not gotten any coal in my stocking.
				Have a holly jolly Christmas.
				It&rsquo;s the best time of the year.

Beyond the Byline: A Santa tale worth retelling