Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Monday was December 8th or, as the Catholics call it, Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Or as Shortcake kept calling it the Feast of the Immaculate Consumption.  As if Mary ate a lot of food without sin.  Or died of tuberculosis without sin.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation.  When Shortcake was growing up, it meant she had to go to mass on a non-Sunday day.  Now it means all the Catholic kids get the day off from school and come to Santaland.  We were in Parade Hallway in the afternoon and didn't get out until 4:30pm.  On a Monday!

Housekeeping was super kind to Santa.  Shortcake asked them to vacuum the break room.  An hour later they came back with a team of three women who vacuumed, Lysoled, dusted, swept dust out of corners.  The break is the cleanest it's looked in years.  Years.  Shortcake gave them an EARS (Elfin Awesomeness Recognition System - something like that) and gave them Safety buttons.  It looked that good, people.  It was brilliant.

To celebrate, Shortcake and Peppercorn had a dance party.