Hospitality Night Hero

Though it was never really cold in Laguna, the hat and scarf always felt just right for Hospitality Night and the little girl enjoyed the tradition of bundling up for this event each year. After a quick cheesy snack, she pulled on her Uggs and began herding her mother towards the door.

Of course, all the children were anxious for the arrival of Santa Claus tonight, and she was no exception, but the evening was extra-special for this 9-year-old, since she first experienced its magic as a kindergartener.

Having moved back to Laguna with her mother, just the two of them, she’d searched for a hero. The old man on the vintage fire truck was someone she could look up to, and she took great pleasure in seeing the antique fire engine working its way up Forest Avenue each year.

The sirens were blaring over the music from the sidewalks and the excitement was building. She peered around the people on the street, clapping her mittens and jumping up and down as she caught sight of him.

She ran alongside the fire truck, shouting his name, hoping that he could hear her and see her among the others. But all the kids in town were chasing the same truck and shouting just as loud, so she was lost in the crowd. But that didn’t stop her. The truck wasn’t moving fast so she wasn’t concerned. After all these years, she knew how this was going to play out.

When the old fire engine finally stopped in front of City Hall, the kids swarmed around it. With a hearty “Ho, Ho, Ho!” the jolly, waving Santa Claus stepped down from the truck and worked his way through the sea of children and their parents trying not to lose sight of them. A narrow path was cleared and everyone followed Santa up the sidewalk, shouting and grabbing at him, trying to get his attention.

However, the little girl held back from the crowd and circled around to the other side of the truck, hurrying to make sure that he saw her before he left.

Not Santa. By now, she was too old to care about Santa Claus. In fact, she wasn’t even sure she believed in him anymore. But she believed in Diz, who drove the fire engine, and that was who she’d been waiting for. When she saw him, in his handsome uniform, and caught his eye, her smile beamed brighter than any Christmas bulb in town.

So while all the other children waited for Santa each year, she waited for Diz, who parked the old fire engine around the corner and welcomed her aboard. He gave her a hug and some Tootsie Pops he’d put aside just for her and made her feel special. That was what she had waited for with such great anticipation. That was why she counted the days up to Hospitality Night each year.

You see, Diz is the retired Laguna Beach fire captain who delivers Santa to City Hall for the pepper tree lighting on the 1931 Seagrave engine each holiday season on Hospitality Night. And the little girl had been lucky enough to move into the house next door to his five years before. Each day, when she got off the school bus at the corner by his house, he was waiting at his gate to say hello. He usually had some chocolate chip banana bread for her or a little stuffed animal he’d come across. Sometimes he showed her a clipping from the newspaper that he thought she might like or had a treat from his garden to share with her. But he always asked about her day at school and let her know that he cared about her.

He never forgot her birthday, or any holiday, stopping by with gifts and staying for a visit. He was happy to join in when her friends were over and needed him to play a certain character for their make believe game, movie making or whatever. He was always a good sport and he always had time for her, time to make her feel special. He was part of her family and, each year, on Hospitality Night, she knew that he was watching for her in the crowd, just as she was watching for him.

Sadly, she had moved across town last summer and the daily visits came to an end, but he remains the little girl’s hero and always will be.

Elizabeth Swellen is a Laguna Beach housewife who still believes in Santa Claus.