Santa Visit 2010

Brad and I kept going back and forth on the whole visiting Santa thing.

I argued that it certainly wouldn't be for Noah, it would be for us... to have that cute memory.

We already had a feeling Noah wouldn't really be thrilled to see Santa. Last year, he was adorable and just sat there like an angel... mostly because he had no idea someone else was holding him.

We decided that it's not nice to do that to him this year.

Until yesterday.

We both admitted it made us sad that we were never going to have a picture of Noah and Santa when he was a year old. I know, we're super sentimental.

We caved and rushed over to our local mall.

Because the REAL Santa goes there. My little sister has been to see plenty of Santa's helpers in her day... but she is convinced that this is the real Santa.

He calls her and my niece every summer to check up on them and makes sure they're being good. He remembered her dad's name. He tells them all the reindeer trivia... and his wife is there. Mrs Claus sees to the inner workings of things as he talks to the kids. He really is the sweetest little man you'll ever meet.

(plus he's cheaper than all the rest of them)

He's not in the middle of the mall either. He's tucked away in the back corner of Dillards.

He's like a hidden gem.

My mom asked Mrs Claus the other night if she had an extra copy of a certain portrait they have hanging there, one of her and Santa riding in the sleigh. She wasn't sure, but she said she'd check. It just so happened, my mom was stopping by at the same time we were there. Mrs Claus brought her a huge copy of the portrait and sold it to my mom (and these aren't normally for sale... we're pretty sure she just came up with a random number in her head). My mom was like a 5 year old, she was so excited. It really is a cute picture. I'll have to scan it sometime.

Anyway, as we were leaving, she asked (quite loudly) if Mrs Claus was going to be riding with Santa on Christmas Eve. Without hesitation, she said yes, she would most definitely be with him. My mom asked her what her favorite cookie was, and she told her peanut butter. My mom then asked her to please make sure the reindeer don't make such a mess this year. Last year, they left a mess in our yard. Mrs Claus didn't miss a beat and replied that she'd keep a close eye on them this year. As we walked away, my mom winked at us, and I noticed the kids in line with eyes wide in excitement.

My mom is awesome.

But just as I suspected, it didn't go so well with Noah.

Believe it or not, after several shots, this was the best one they could get.

I don't care.

It's documented.

It's a memory, and I love it.

:)