My 4 year old daughter cracked me up today. A photography studio near our home offers pics with Santa at a reasonable price - the nice part is you make an appointment, the kids get 20 minutes to visit and chat with Santa, they videotape the whole thing and you can buy the DVD if you want. They take pictures and you can pick out what you like and get a package of prints. A neighbor friend of mine was taking her daughter today (same age) and told me about it, said her daughter last year was a little nervous at first but then loved it and was really looking forward to going again this year. I said I didn't know how my daughter would do, because we have never been able to get her to want anything to do with Santa - she doesn't like characters in costumes either, like at Disney World (and she is normally very sociable and outgoing). So she suggested we go together and maybe if my daughter could see her daughter visiting with Santa and having fun, she would warm up to the idea (her daughter is fine with sitting next to Santa, but won't sit on his lap, and her mom is fine with that).
So we tried. Her daughter was all smiles and chit-chat for Santa and got her picture taken the whole time. My daughter would not even enter the room - she clutched her teddy bear and I had to sit next to Santa with her on my lap. She would not look at him and would not talk to him, and would only whisper what she wanted me to tell him. Toward the end she opened up a little bit when he asked her about her school, her pets, etc. (the information had been relayed to him earlier) but still would not look at him. We did manage to get some pics of her on my lap next to Santa, and the photographer was great at getting her to laugh for the pictures. Afterwards I told DD how proud I was of her for being so brave and trying her best.
When we left there, I was getting her in the car, and she said to me. "That was so much fun! That was my favorite thing today!"
Your favorite thing was meeting Santa? Really? You wouldn't even look at him!
"Because you were proud of me Mama! And I did my best!"
So will your kids do Santa pics or not? Any funny stories about Santa visits in the past?
That is so sweet!! It was her favorite thing because you were proud of her and she did her best!! Sniff, sniff :)
Who knows, my daughter may...but she is 18 and very silly at times.
My mom made my sister and me take a picture with Santa every year until we moved out! It ended up being a wonderful idea, because she displays all our Santa pics for Christmas... The best ones are when we were L. and crying lol.
So yes, I will take my boys to see Santa this year, and every year for a long time :-)
Absolutely!!!!
We go to the same Santa every year, and have for the past 5 years. He's marvelous.
It's in a little cabin in an outdoor mall (who thought THAT -the outdoor mall- was a good idea in SEATTLE, I'll never know) that they build every year from logs, and deconstruct every year. You wait outside in the freezing cold (they DO have heaters lined up, and barrels full of golf umbrellas) to go inside to this warm little haven of fireplace and velvet and xmas magic that is just you and Santa and the elves. And exit out a back door, so there's never any 'passing'. Your time with Santa is yours and yours alone. With the BEST Santa, ever. And that was how we felt about it even before 2 years ago.
2 years ago, though, there was a misprint for hours and times. Instead of closing at SIX on the 23rd they closed at 3pm!!! So we get there ... no line... and go huh? We park, slog through the lot to the cabin and start waiting. We also do pictures in PJs the night before xmas (we celebrate on the 24th, long story). It was cold and nasty out, so kiddo had his snowsuit on over his PJs. We'd been there for about 15 minutes in the dark, figuring maybe they were on break, when a few other families come up. THEY see the sign behind us with the tiny hours altered for THAT day only. So they leave. Sinking stomachs, impending doom. Jump on smart phones and ALL the other Santas closed at 1pm-3pm. It's now pushing 330. Xmas is tomorrow. Nothing left to do but leave.
So I knock.
(Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained.)
A youngish girl opens the door (16?), you can see the 'elves' are finishing up the 'count' and paperwork for the day.
"I'm sorry, we're closed for the day. Santa will be back from the North Pole tomorrow from 10-6."
"Ho-ho-ho. Now just a minute! I knew I was waiting around here for a reason!" comes this booming voice from behind the corner and walks out to the door in full costume, hands on hips, beaming down at our son. "One more, I think. Come in, young man, come in!"
So half an hour after they close Santa lets us in, not a single beg or explanation on our part, and chats my then 7yo son up for about 15 minutes, even though we were prepared to dash, given our good fortune, he just waves us off and keeps making my son laugh. We're usually there for 5. We get our pictures, and kiddo gets his list given, and Santa SAVED christmas for us.
We gave them a $50 tip. I would have doubled it if I could have.
LOVE that Santa.
((Btw... when my son was a toddler... he decided Santa is a spirit. The way mall santas work is that the REAL Santa, since he's a spirt, just breaks off parts of his spirit -like sparkles- and sends them out to all the Santas in malls and other places. Then, at the end of the day, he calls all the sparkles back to himself. That's ALSO, my son reasoned, how he knows all year if you've been naughty or nice. He sends out pieces of his spirit out to people all over the world to keep watch on children. So you NEVER know when Santa might be watching. And he's able to be in thousands of places all at the same time. I REALLY love that kid.))
Yep. Every year we go to Macy's on 34th street in Manhattan, we have gone since my first DD was born in 2006. We take our Christmas card photo with Santa. The girls cried a couple times when they were really little. And I have one hilarious Christmas photo with my 3 yo all smiles and my 2 yo looking dubiously at him. We have NEVER had them sit on his lap. I am not ok with that. They either sit next to him or we all sit in the pic and they sit on our laps.
My youngest (age 3) will go sit in Santa's lap, but my oldest (age 5) will NOT. I have photos of his first Christmas at age 9 months in Santa's lap -after that it wasn't happening. He writes a letter and list to Santa that we mail, but he is terrified to go sit in his lap. It kind of cracks me up!
We did try to force this when he was 2 and his little brother was a few months old. I got an appointment with the "end all be all" Santa here in town (I still don't get why he's supposed to be so great), and we went. I finally wound up in the picture with Santa -who is clearly exasperated and sweating, a crazed and crying two year old, a red-faced infant, and I'm clearly sweating and flustered beyond belief. It's HILARIOUS! I really should use it as our Christmas card one year!
What a good way to get her used to him. Next year might be easier. I would try to go with a friend again.
Aww how sweet of you and her. Your story made me smile.
Idk about my DD seeing Santa she is very shy and timid around new ppl and doesn't like ppl dressed up she digs her heels near any dressed up person lol
We walked by the santas workshop place thing at the mall full of Xmas trees and decorations and Santa waved to her and she didn't wave back lol Shes only 21 months old so well see later on :)
