It’s Christmas Eve 2022, and I’m at my parents house in Chessington, where London suburbs unfurl into the Surrey borders. As the festive evening draws in, a childish excitement flushes through me.
Familiar naive questions drift to the forefront of my brain. Will he visit me tonight? Can I stay awake long enough to witness his arrival? And have I been good enough to be rewarded with what I want?
As Christmas Eve turns into Christmas Day, the anticipation of checking my camera is reminiscent of getting the photos back from a roll of film sent off to the lab.
Did it work? Were the settings right? Yes! The magical creature, so embedded into my childhood did visit, and left me with a festive encounter, I’ll long remember.
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