At each Christmas since M has been born, we’ve been asked if we’re taking her to see Santa.  We got varying reactions when we replied that we weren’t since she wasn’t old enough to really be aware of what was going on.  I just didn’t see much point in waiting in the lines and having her possibly getting upset when she didn’t know what it was all about.  But this year, she recognizes Santa and knows Baby Jesus is in the stable.  So we decided to take M to see Santa for the first time. 

My apprehension about visiting Santa was the thought of waiting in a never-ending line with an active tw0-year-old who no longer likes to be held, will not hold your hand for extended periods, and would certainly be wanting to dash off to see everything within sight that happened to catch her eye.  Luckily for us due to some planning and fortuidous weather, we arrived at just as Santa was starting his day on a rainy morning.  We were the third person in line!  Whoo Hoo!

I also wondered how M would react since we’ve all seen those screaming child with Santa photos that every family seems to have.  Now, M is definitely not a shy child by any means.  However, you never know how your child will react in new situations.  So I was bracing myself for a possible fit when we made our visit to Santa. 

But true to her nature, M walked right up to Santa and was happy to sit in his lap.  She enjoyed looking at the gold buttons on his suit and his belt buckle.  She looked at him with a smile while he talked to her, then she turned toward the photographer and me and leaned back to rest on his shoulder.  She was definitely relaxed.  We had to get her to sit up to get a photo that didn’t look funny.  Everyone seemed to be amazed at how good she did. 

I could understand why after watching the little girl in line behind us.  She looked to be about M’s age and spent her entire time waiting waving and craning her neck to see the big man better while shouting “Hi! Santa!”  As soon as she got up on his lap, it was a total meltdown.  The pressure was just too much for her. 

Anyway, here’s M’s photo with Santa! 

 

I’m sure we’ll visit again next year!