To Mr. Cooper, CEO of TCF National Bank

Mr. Willam A. Cooper
TCF National Bank
801 Marquette Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55402


Dear Mr. Cooper,

I want to bring to your attention a problem I see in the way your bank conducts business. While I find the tellers at your bank courteous and locations convienent, I came across a problem that troubles me greatly. On January 18, 2012, I went to my nearby branch to deposit $260.00 in cash. After making this deposit, I headed home to pay some bills online. After balancing my checkbook, I noticed I had an extra $20 and chose to transfer it to my other checking account. It has always been my understanding that cash is available immediately after a deposit.

However, I received a letter a few days later stating my account had gone negative. I noticed the letter also stated that "only the cash portion of deposits after the branch cutoff is available for withdrawal the same day." When I checked my account, none of my online payments had gone through and the only two recent transactions were my deposit and the $20 transfer. I took the letter into the bank and to alleviate my confusion. I was told again that my cash was available immediately but I was being charged a $28 daily overdraft fee for the transfer I made after I deposited cash. I must admit, Mr. Cooper, this only made me more confused. How can cash be available for immediate withdrawal but yet I cannot go home to transfer my cash 30 minutes later?

I was then given a 15-minute explanation by the assistant manager about how the business day ends at 2 p.m. and anything transaction after 2 p.m. goes on the following business day. Mr. Cooper, if this is true, then how come my the transfer I made at roughly 8:15 p.m. was counted on the Jan. 18th business day but the depost I made 30 minutes earlier was counted as part of the Jan. 19th business day? I am under the impression that the assistant manager at the branch was not entirely sure because when I asked that very question, she told me I should have come into the bank to make the transfer. Mr. Cooper, the bank closes at 8 p.m., I would be forced to wait until the following morning, which seems a little extreme.

She then explained that the business date for online banking is different than the business date in the branches. I understand deposit availability and the whole 2 p.m. cutoff concept but I don't understand why the business date should differentiate between the branch and online. Nor do I see why this should matter if I make a cash deposit into my account. I was told to avoid an overdraft fee like this again, I should do my transfers at the bank. Forgive me Mr. Cooper but I must admit I find this hardly convienent nor was this explained to me when I opened the account. I was told online banking was supposed to make my life more convienent and now I'm being told the complete opposite.

As a result of the $28 fee I was charged, my bill payments caused me to go negative and I was given 4 days of overdraft fees resulting in a negative balance of $ -130. I believe I was charged these overdrafts unfairly because I acted under the pretense my $260 deposit was available immediately, which your overdraft letter claims it is available for same day withdrawal. Please, Mr. Cooper, explain to me why 1. your online business date is different than the branch business dates 2. why my cash wasn't available for same-day withdrawal and finally, why I'm now being told to avoid another overdraft fee of this kind that I should do all my transfers at a branch, which is quite inconvienent.

My displeasure Mr. Cooper has led me to end my business relationship with TCF Bank and recommended that all my family members and friends do the same. Many of whom have already done so upon learning of my troubles. Why should they keep their money at a bank that claims same day withdrawal for cash deposits when really that's not true? I really think you should reconsider your business model and the claims that are written on your branch pamphlets and letters.

Sincerely,
Alison Burge

The truth is...

Growing up, I was always taught "the truth will set you free." However, I probably lied quite a bit as a child to keep from getting out of trouble. Usually I just blamed what I did on one of my sisters. Although I'd like to believe that for the most part, we were well behaved, which really didn't give my parents a lot of reason to punish us. I remember being grounded only once and that was lifted like a day later. Maybe my parents were pushovers or maybe I never did anything that really required grounding. I did have a temper as a kid, which resulted in me hitting my younger sister a lot. Although the beating was mutual so I gave as good as I got and included a few times (I kid you not...) Kristin threatening me with kitchen knives. Luckily, Kristin is now terrified of knives and we've both mellowed out. So this blog is dedicated to the truth about my life right now, with the hopes that it will help me feel better. And the truth is life really sucks right now and I'm far from ok.

The truth is I've been unemployed almost 3 months and only had 5 interviews (most of which have been since Jan. 1).

The truth is I can hardly get anyone to call me or return my phone calls (no matter how pesky I decide to be), including a part time job at McDonald's.

The truth is that being unemployed totally blows and is killing my confidence.

The truth is I'm tired of listening about recent grads (like ones from December) complain they can't find a job... you've been out a month! Shut up and take a number!

The truth is I LOVED working at the Halloween store and miss it desparately. It was the first time since leaving EIU that I felt appreciated at work.

The truth is I'm tired of hanging out with my friends and hearing about their work stories. I'd rather stay home than be reminded that I'm still unemployed.

The truth is my confidence in my ability to find a job is pretty well shot.

The truth is since I can't pay my own bills, my mother has been helping me and I feel so incredibly guilty about it.

The truth is I'm horribly embarassed that I'm 23, living at home and can't even afford to buy my own food (my mom is making sure I'm fed).

The truth is this whole situation has me SO stressed out I've started having panic attacks.

The truth is I'm terrified of panic attacks.

The truth is that I've been reading my Bible, praying and trying to find God but for some reason, he's not answering and I'm beyond frustrated.

The truth is I'm tired of hearing Pastor Ron say "God's got a big plan for you in 2012."

The truth is I just want to feel God again. I don't need a job, I just want to know he's there.

The truth is without my mom and Zack, I'm very sure I would be much worse than I am now.

The truth is I feel like I've lost all independence and that's what is killing me the most.

The truth is I'm tired of companies telling me that I don't have enough experience to be an assistant manager, try for the shift supervisor position (which I've already got 3 years of experience... 2 in college and 1 post college).

The truth is I know I can do it and I know I can be the best. 

The truth is this is probably the most difficult blog I've ever written.

The truth is I've only been able to listen to Kirk Franklin for the last month. Anyone else just makes me more depressed.

But the truth is simple: I just want to feel like Alison again.

My motto for 2012: Bring it.

So I haven't posted in a LONG time much to my chagrin. Unfortunately a pesky thing called the holidays got in the way. I had a pretty good Christmas, Thanskgiving and New Years. I got to watch my boyfriend of almost 4 years (longest 4 years of my life...) walk across the stage to get his Bachelors of Business. He likes to tell me he's now edumacated, but I think it's still up for debate (just kidding!).

Normally I don't make a New Years resolution because I don't really see the point. I've never actually completed any of my resolutions. So why make one if I never stick to it? But this year, I did. I'm tired of this stupid cycle of unemployment that I'm stuck in. My last day at the Halloween store was over 2 months ago and I'm SO tired of sitting around the house. As a result of this unemployment, I feel like I'm accomplishing nothing. For a girl who's a busy body, it's difficult and depressing. So my resolution is simple but has 3 parts: find a job, buy a car, move out. I'm going to be 24 in July and it's about time I begin to accomplish something.

In my search for a career, I've made some decisions about my views on work. I've been doing management for close to 3 years now and honestly, I actually enjoy it. I like being in charge. My ultimate career goal in management is to prove that you don't have to be a jerk to be a manager. I can work harder and faster and still treat the rest of my employees with the utmost respect. A lot of managers tend to lose touch with the fact that they too were at the bottom of the totem pole. I don't want that to be me. I've had one too many jerk managers and there's no reason for it.

For the most part, I've been pretty luck with my managers. My manager at the Halloween store told me I was the sole reason she didn't quit. After a VERY bad manager, she gave me confidence again. I don't think she'll ever know how grateful I am for her confidence in me. My assistant manager at the bank was pretty cool and had our backs, unlike the actual branch manager. But my favorites ex-bosses are still Susan and Sheila. They gave me my first shot at being a manager and supported me all through it.

Some people see work as a chore but for the most part, I actually like it. I like being successful and you know, the money isn't bad either. I've also come to realize that I'm going to work my butt off no matter how much I get paid. It's just how I'm wired. You'll get the same work out of me if I'm being paid $8 or $18.

The job search is going very slowly. Not getting a lot of phone calls but I'm trying to keep my spirits up. But I have two potential interviews. I'm really looking at management training programs because you get promoted a lot faster and a lot of times you get to relocate. And I'm all about relocation. But somebody, somewhere will eventually give me job.

And it sounds like I'm bragging but I do work INCREDIBLY hard. I know very few people who can out work me. I'm high octane and usually go about 100 mph at work. My last district manager kept telling me to stop because I was moving too fast. So lookout employers... I know I'm the best and when you hire me, you'll know it too.

But I guess the biggest thing right now is... I'm just tired of feeling like I'm not accomplishing anything. God must having something big in store for me because this is one heck of a storm. And here's the song that's been getting me through the hard days. Enjoy! It's actually pretty funny.

Let's Talk About Weight...

So Thanksgiving has to be one of my favorite holidays. I think it's mostly because I get to pig out on food and then not feel guilty afterward. And I know some of you are thinking, "Alison's the size of a twig, why would she ever feel guilty about eating anything?" Well, I'm human and I do.

Here's the thing about being thin: I'm kind of self-conscious about. Think of it this way: I go shopping and I'm looking for at the smaller sizes. Someone from across the room is watching me, envious of the size I'm in because our society has made it a crime to be any bigger. The person goes home and starts skipping meals or even worse, starts an eating disorder. Why? All because they saw me and the sticks in the magazine. They decided they weren't good enough because they saw me in the store and became jealous.

And I understand that it's not my fault that people become anorexic or bulimic, but I don't like being automatically grouped with that culture simply because of my size. If you just saw me shopping in the store, at first glance you might think: she's tall and skinny, she could be a supermodel. It's the worst thing you could ever tell me. I've gotten it before (A LOT) and it offends me. And it's only because it groups me in a society I don't even like. 

Yea, I'm crazy but we've already established this. Here's why I think it's better not to be Burge-girl skinny:

1. It's really a proven fact that guys like girls with more curves. You wanna know why I think I didn't go on my first date until I was 19? I was too skinny. What guy wants to date a size 4? I turn sideways and there is NOTHING to me. People go, "Where's Alison? She was just here." Guys want girls who when they turn sideways they can admire. Plus, being skinny can give off that whole I-don't-ever-eat-anything-vibe. Zack once told me that if I ate salads all the time, he would have never asked me out. He loves my appetite. My first date with Zack, we went out for pizza and I ate like 75% of the pizza. I think he enjoys the fact that I can out eat him.

2. You become lazy. Now, I actually enjoy working out. I like sweating and my workout routine consists of an hour of Just Dance on my Wii. However, being this skinny can give you a lazy complex. I don't need to work out because I'm super skinny anyways. There are people who weigh a lot more but are a millions time healthier than me because they eat better and work out more. They could live to see their great grandchildren get married and I could die when I'm 40 of a heart attack still skinnier than a twig! And I constantly fight the lazy complex but then I think of my adorable great grandchildren and pick up that Wii remote! I also REALLY like to dance but that's another story.

3. Being Burge-girl skinny can get you into trouble. This may be scary but I actually wear the biggest size of my sisters. I also go up a size because of my leg. We actually got in trouble in junior high and high school because we were TOO skinny. Our teachers thought we had eating disorders and out of concern would call home. I actually got called down to the nurses office and the counselor was there to talk about it. I've never had an eating disorder and it was only after the one millionth no that they relented. I had fight against this belief that just because I was skinny I had an eating disorder. My parents had to explain to school officials that we were just skinny. We had no problems eating, we were just wired to be tall and skinny. I'm not trying to discount eating disorders because they're terrible. My heart aches to think people would subject themselves to it because they think they're not good enough. I didn't want my teachers spending time on me when there were other students who needed help.

I'm all about having a healthy lifestyle. And I have family members who've lost weight and I'm SO proud of them. Losing weight just needs to be done the right way. Skipping meals or resorting to eating disorders are not the right way. So here's the real point of my blog: Trying to be a healthy weight is achievable, trying to be Burge-girl skinny is not. So please don't use my size as your role model.  

F.Y.M. + E78 = Me!

So yesterday I ran across a friend of Kristin's, who I watched grow up. As it turns out, she's now attending my alma mater, EIU. It made me insanely happy as I creeped through her Facebook photos looking at places I once frequented.

As I went through her photos, I felt like I was stepping back in time. A lot of her photos from high school were from Northwest's youth group. Then I came across the announcement videos from the same time period and it brought back so many memories.

I loved youth group beyond anything else in my life. I went on all the retreats, camps, conventions, Fine Arts trips and missions trips. I went through the leadership training and for a while, was considered a student leader.

My dream today is become a youth leader at a church and pay it forward. I had so many wonderful youth leaders that influenced me and shaped my spiritual journey. I want to be the same for those who follow behind me.

Sadly, I can't find any F.Y.M pictures to post so I apologize for that. That was back in ancient times when I had a film camera. When I started youth group, it was a change in leadership. The youth pastor had just become the head pastor at Northwest and for about a year, we didn't have a pastor. Then came Dave and Kristen March. A very wonderful, Godly couple who showed me that sticking to your faith and loving God is the key to living a full life.

Junior high and early high school were difficult for me but the March's helped me through it and were so supportive and caring. I didn't really fit in with the people my age at church (minus a few). They were normal and seemed confident and I felt like I had to be someone else around them. I was crazy (still am) and incredibly awkward. It was the typical self-conscious teen thing but I felt twice as awkward because of my leg. They were prettier, more popular, and were constantly changing boyfriends. I just didn't fit. But with the support of the March's, I discovered that I didn't need to try so hard.

I also got a lot of support from awesome leaders like Adeolu, Christine, Katie and Stephanie. Without them, I think I would have absolutely hated my life. I remember Katie being very proficient as the Carlton dance and entertaining us all at one youth retreat. Adeolu took some girls and I to lunch one day at California Pizza Kitchen. That's where I learned how to do the whole tequila shot thing with the salt and lime (minus the tequila). We thought we were super cool doing it with lemonade.

When Dave and Kristen left for Wisconsin, I was 16. They shaped who I am to this day. I loved God, loved life and could drive myself to all the youth group functions. I learned to embrace my leg and make fun of myself. For those of you who are curious, this is around the time of my infamous leg/prom alternative story. It fell off while we were at Navy Pier and my dad scared Dave to pieces upon returning to the church.

I had also found a wonderful group of friends where I didn't have to try. I became me. At the core, I'm still the same, crazy Alison I was 7 years ago. I still love God, love life and I can still drive myself everywhere. God had shown me who I was and a dream of the future. There was still change to be had though.

The new youth pastor arrived shortly before my senior year of high school. T.J. and Jill brought a name change and lots of new ideas. I wasn't used to change and wanted desperately to hang on to the past. He painted over the mural in the back of the youth room. We went from Fire Youth Ministries to Element 78 (which is platinum). T.J. taught me to embrace change. All the changes were made for the improvement of youth group and it made us stronger. Made me stronger. A lot of the youth leaders were only a year or two older than me and instead of being role models, they were friends.

Good Christian friends who believed in good Christian fun. And I have pictures!

Meet my youth leaders... getting high on helium

The funny story with this picture is James (the guy in the middle) passed out. I have a video of him fainting from inhaling too much helium. They were singing Christmas carols and wanted to sound like chipmunks. James got back up pretty quickly and kept singing.

Don't let my innocent smile fool you... I was hard core.

This photo was taken at winter retreat. We played sculpterades (which is a combo of charades and pictionary). I rocked hard core at this game and whenever it was my turn, it went to full contact sculpterades. I tackled one guy and ended up head butting another. After someone on your team got the right answer, you had to run to the center of the room, grab the bucket and run back to your team. At one point, I accidentally collided with James (the fainting one) and tossed the bucket to the other side of the room. Two words: hard core.

We got bored so we painted Peter instead.

Oscar (guy in the blue) and Monica (in the grey) had very loud personalities but Peter (the boy in the middle) is SUPER quiet. On our missions trip to Georgia, I volunteered to paint with them. It beat going outside in the hot Georgia sun. We, unfortunately, got assigned to the men's bathroom. It was gross. Even Oscar didn't want to go in. But we sucked it up and went in, scrubbed the walls and painted. However, the paint was the EXACT same color and we couldn't tell where we had painted. Peter is a very nice young man and obliged us when we joked about painting him because at least on him, we could tell where we had painted.

Although, there was the time the youth leaders put make up on one of boys who fell asleep in the van. Unlike Peter, he was not amused.

So on this Thanksgiving Eve, I want to thank my youth pastors and their wives. For the support, confidence, training and guidance. I wouldn't have survived high school. To my leaders, you set Godly examples for me to follow when I needed it most. You provided countless hours of amusement and prayed with me hundreds of times. You truly cared about me and gave me something to look forward to every week. To this day, my favorite day of the week is Wednesday because that's when I attended youth group. You truly made a difference in my life and I just wanted you to know.

And oddly enough, my blog name came from my time in youth group. When I started youth group, I was trying to be someone else but the people I met taught me that it was enough to simply be Alison.

P.S. I will be writing an actual Thanksgiving blog tomorrow. Please be safe during your travels!

Mr. Rogers' Congress

I've had it. Completely, utterly fed up with this all.

I try to avoid discussing politics because let's face it, everyone has their own beliefs and people rarely change their minds. People will never truly see eye to eye on political issues. But what happened tonight is a travesty of epic proportions.

I was CNN.com catching up on the latest news when I discovered that this "Super" committee to deal with our budget deficit decided it couldn't get its act together and come to an agreement. $1.2 TRILLION hangs in the balance and the officials we ELECTED sat around on Capitol Hill for 5 months arguing like pre-schoolers.

When I registered to vote, I marked Democrat on the party affiliation thing. And to be honest, I normally vote Democrat (expect for Blago... he was the exception). I come from a conservative background and some people I know would scoff at a Christian Democrat. I don't agree with all the Democrat party lines but I can't vote for a party that likes to give tax breaks to the wealthy and leave me whimpering every time I look at the tax taken out of my paycheck. And they also like to cut spending to programs for the poor... Can't do it. I have this super over-arching sense of wanting to help everyone. Republicans don't like to do that.

Now despite my normal devotion to the Democrats, I'm utterly ashamed that they're sitting on Capitol Hill blaming the Republicans. Even my bff Obama is blaming the Republicans. What every Congressman needs to do is pull out a mirror and look at it before placing blame. And you know something, as Americans we're to blame too. We ALL elected these people into office and then let them sit around and refuse to act like grown ups.

When they sat around back in June bickering about the overwhelming debt, we all just sat around and grumbled. Then Obama put together the super committee and maybe we felt a little better. Maybe the thought of sweeping cuts to everything (especially the defense budget) would get them to work together. Neither party liked the idea of sequestration so they should have done everything to avoid it. But they didn't.

And this Occupy Wall Street movement, why did it take so long? Where was this in June when this whole debacle started? Why did it take us SO long to start voicing our discontent? Have we really become this complacent with our government?

You want to what I think? I think we've become lazy with our politics. We let the machine run too long and we've run ourselves into the ground. We have no one to blame here but ourselves. Beware, my friends, America is finished as the no. 1 superpower because we can't even agree on budget cuts. If we can't solve our own problems, why should we be trusted to go to other nations and solve theirs? We can't.

And I know this seems doom and gloom. Maybe it won't come to that... maybe we can figure it out. Maybe the Occupy Wall Street movement will bring sweeping changes to the government. But I doubt it. We are so stuck in this age of bureaucracy and bickering that the only thing that will change it is complete revolution.

So here's my clever solution to all this: Congress needs to be rehauled. Completely replaced. Replace them with a normal, civilian group and then EVERYONE has to go through intensive Mr. Rogers training. I'm going to start a curriculum for new Congressional members and Mr. Rogers will be at the core. Because he knew how to act like an adult and treat each other fairly. He understood that we may not agree on everything but we can embrace the differences and work together. If Mr. Rogers can get it right, then why can't the rest of us? It's so amazingly simple. Sure, he made a kids television show but if Congress can't act like adults, then it works out perfectly. So yes, my solution to this whole problem after completely voting out Congress is Mr. Rogers. Because he got it right and let's be honest, we could all take a page from Mr. Rogers once in a while.

So after everyone attends my Mr. Rogers seminar, we put them through a worst case scenario simulation. If they can't solve their differences and be like Mr. Rogers, then they're gone. Plain and simple. Imagine how many headaches we could save ourselves if Congress actually took some of Mr. Rogers' advice to heart and started treating each other like good neighbors. And yes, every morning would start with the House and Senate meeting together in a Joint sessions and singing the familiar tune of the opening song. And yes, I'm deadly serious about all this. Got any other ideas? Because nothing else we've tried has worked.

My Real Life Santa

For those of you who haven't been following my Facebook posts, my grandfather, John William Traughber, died on Nov. 9, 2011. I've always said that God blessed me beyond compare when he gave me the family he did. We aren't perfect but we also understand that family means looking beyond each other's imperfections.

My grandparents: the world's greatest people

For my family, the death of my grandfather was a relief. He had been suffering for many months and he needed rest. My grandfather loved God and even became an ordained minister in later years, so he's in a place with no suffering or pain. He was greatly loved by my family and his presence will be sorely missed.

For me, the dealing with my grandfathers death over the next few weeks will be very difficult. I loved him very much and considered him one of the best men I will ever know. A grandchild always looks past their grandparents faults and as such, he was the epitome of perfection to me.

Now normally, I believe in holiday equality. Thanksgiving IS just an important as Christmas but in light of recent events, I'm foregoing that rule. And when you finish my blog, you'll understand why.

When I was a kid, I was convinced my grandfather was Santa. He even looked like Santa. He had the bushy white beard that was soft but tickled your cheek. He had the big tummy and even the twinkle in his eye. I was always passionate about my friends meeting my grandparents because then they'd get to know the real Santa too.

As I grew older, I still retained that child-like faith of Santa because to me, he was real. I got to see him every time I went to Decatur. When I about 12 or 13, my grandma admitted to me that my grandfather always ate the Christmas cookies we left out. Even though my sisters and I were all old enough not to believe in Santa, we still left cookies for my grandfather to eat. And my grandfather, in true Santa form, left us little notes on the cookie plate. Mostly "Yum, yum, yum" or "Be good."

But mostly, he remained Santa to me because he shared 3 of Santa's main traits: talent, commitment and jolliness. When I started thinking about writing my blog, I asked Zack who he though made the toys before the Elves came. He thought about it for a minute and said "Santa." For this to be true, Santa must be a very talented craftsmen. He would be an expert at woodworking, welding and the world's greatest artist. My grandfather equaled Santa's talent. He was a wonderful stained glass artist. After he retired, he traveled to different churches and did stained glass windows for them. One of my most prized possessions is a stained glass frog lamp he made me when I was a teenager. I also discovered shortly after his death that he once entered a citywide stained glass competition and placed 2nd.

He was also a very talented musician and loved music. Every church he ever joined, he immediately joined the choir. He sung with the deepest, richest bass voice that shook the earth when he sang. He loved Southern Gospel Music, especially the Gaithers and had EVERY single Gaither video ever released. He knew all the songs and although I thought the Gaithers were boring, I still enjoyed hearing him sing. He is also the only person I've ever met who plays the dulcimer. Still not sure what it is but it sounds epic.

Santa was also very committed. Once he started delivering presents, there was no turning back for him. Think about what a huge commitment Christmas is. He spends 364 days preparing for one night. He organizes the elves, reindeer and has to make sure to get home to Mrs. Claus at some point. When my grandfather married my grandmother in 1961, he made that Santa-like commitment to her. When she entered the TB sanitarium not 2 years later, he committed himself to caring for my aunt, dad, and uncle. He fed them, clothed them, and entertained them for 6 months. He even convinced the TB hospital officials to let them in so they could visit their mom.  He also showed that same commitment to his grandkids. There is not one drop of my grandfather's blood in my veins but that didn't matter to him. I was his granddaughter and he loved me as such.

To say my grandfather loved my grandma is a gross understatement. He adored her. During their courtship, he asked her to marry him every single day and I'm sure he meant it everyday too. My grandma often laughs about it and says, "I said no so much that when I actually said yes, he didn't hear me."  When she was in the TB hospital, my grandfather visited her twice a day, everyday. During his lunch break and after he got off of work. When she was admitted to the hospital in January, he visited her everyday. Often spending the whole day by her bedside. In June, my grandparents celebrated 50 years of marriage. His Santa-like commitment never wavered to his 5 kids and wife.

Santa is also known for his happy demeanor and jolly laugh. My grandfather loved to tell jokes and took delight in the corny. His jokes were often told repeatedly and became known in my house as "Grandpa John" jokes. Like his jokes, his humorous stories were told hundreds of times. And there were always new people to tell his stories too. My dad said at the funeral that my grandfather, "Never met a stranger." He talked to everyone and I truly believe he enjoyed seeing people smile. He would be your new best friend whether you liked it or not. And truthfully, it was probably pretty hard not to like him. He had a wonderful, friendly disposition that you couldn't hate. I know he didn't always smile and as he got sicker, he could be grumpy at times. But as his grandchild, I will always say, he was always smiling and the jolliest person I ever knew.

I read this blog entry at his funeral and it surprised me how many people after came up and told me that he was Santa to them too. Not only did he look like Santa, he acted like him too. As I was talking to my younger sister about this, she even said, "I thought he was Santa too!" I loved my grandfather very much and I will him miss more than words can ever say. My world was made that much brighter by his goodness and humor. And I expect Christmas will be a little sadder this year without my Santa. I will never forget my grandfather. And even if I wanted too, I don't think I could because Santa never truly dies. His laugh, like my grandfathers, is immortalized in 3 short words: Ho, ho, ho.