We got to the mall and got in a short line of people waiting for Santa to finish his scheduled break. Of course, all the other moms were whipping out hair brushes and grooming their offspring in preparation for the big photo op. I was not doing this because it didn't occur to me to pack a brush. I don't carry one, so why would I throw it into the diaper bag? I finger-combed Grace's hair while Chad gave me a half-hearted hard time about being the only mom without a brush.
Next, Grace and I had to cut out of line to go look at Santa from the other side of his throne area. She was already getting anxious about actually getting near the guy, and was biting her nails furiously.
Back in line she began her flat-out refusal to see Santa unless the whole family could be in the picture. After a couple of minutes back and forth Chad and I agreed to be in the picture if it was okay with Santa's handlers. It was, so we went. But their lame-ass Santa barely talked to the girls, only half-listened when Grace finally whispered what she wanted from behind her fingernails, and then gave out a couple of dorky coloring books. He looked good, though. Really authentic.
The resulting photo says it all.
Here are a few conclusions I've come to on this whole visiting Santa thing:
1. Most people seem to be in it only for the photo. Way more time was spent arranging kids on Santa's lap than was spent in actual conversation with the kids.
2. The photos are a total rip-off. We paid $25 to get one 5x7 photo and a CD with the picture on it that includes a photo release so we can make our own prints. However, we'll never make prints because a) Chad doesn't like the shot and b) who besides us really wants a picture of the entire family on Santa's lap?
3. 95% of kids are petrified of Santa. The younger they are, the worse it is, but even the older kids seem to be thinking this is pretty weird.
4. Next year I'm going to save myself the hassle of hauling the kids to the mall after work and instead make a big deal out of writing a letter to Santa. Heck, I'm a writer and I work in the graphic design business - I could even create a letter back from Santa that would be way more exciting than sitting on his lap in an ugly velour chair at the mall.
The good news? Both girls were on their absolute best behavior when we went to dinner at the Olive Garden afterward. Whew!
1 comment:
At least the photo captured the moment. And isn’t that what you want? Not a perfect photo of a fabricated, magical moment? (Remember when Art had to re-create Easter, after it actually happened so that they could get a good pic of the kids?) Better to have the real thing, tears and all.
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