I love Santa! I love Santa so much that every year as a child I remember going to get my picture taken with him at the mall. I never noticed that every year he looked different. I certainly never noticed that his beard could be pulled down and that his belly was just full of fake stuffing. It’s amazing how far Santa has come in the past 10 years… now Santa has a real belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly… AND a REAL beard! He’s old, he’s at the same mall year after year, and he just looks like an authentic jolly Ole’ Saint Nick!

So of course when Christmas time came last year there was no doubt I was going to march my little 4 month old right up to Santa for a picture. Honestly, I never even questioned it. So we got our Christmas souvenir for 2010 and all was right in my world, because Lincoln was going to grow up with the same tradition that many of us do… meeting Santa!

Getting to the point…

My best friend had her baby girl back in July so she’s right at 5 months old. I was telling her about our Santa tradition and how I was running out of time to get Lincoln’s snap shot with Santa this year. I asked when she’d be taking her baby to visit with Santa. I was HORRIFIED with her response… “I think the mall Santa is gross” … “he holds snotty nosed, coughing, germ infested children all day and now I’m supposed to go hand him my child?” “I don’t think so…” add a head roll, snap of the fingers in a “Z” pattern. Okay okay we were actually on the phone so I don’t know if there was really a head roll, but the sass on the other end of the line indicated such. I’ll give her this, her baby was born about 8 weeks premature; however, that little toot is almost 15 lbs now! How could she NOT want to visit Santa Claus???!!! And am I such a bad Mommy for having no problem AT ALL with dirty ole’, germ infested, baby holding, drool covered Santa Claus?

Call me old fashion, but I think getting your child’s picture taken with Santa is a staple for their childhood. To each his own I guess.

Fast forward to this past Thursday… I took Lincoln to visit Santa at Barton Creek Mall. We went during the day to avoid long lines so there weren’t a ton of people there. Even still, I couldn’t help but look around staring at all the other children ahead of us. And then I began thinking to myself “oh that one’s got a runny nose” or “uh oh, was that a cough I heard?” Nonetheless, I plopped Lincoln down on the lap of Santa and I’m proud to say, we now have our picture for the year. Of course now I have in the back of my mind that a runny nose is going to start any day now and I’ll be forced to wonder if it’s from booger eating Tommy that was in front of us to meet Santa.

So I gotta ask… Are you like my best friend and repulsed at the idea of a mall Santa? Or are you like me and would be devastated at the demise of mall Santa’s? And did anyone else notice that the Lakeline Mall Santa is new this year or is that just my crazy sister who travels from Houston year after year to just so her kids don’t ever have to meet a different Santa?

Here are our pics from Christmas 2010 and 2011 so clearly we don’t care about germy Santa 🙂

4 COMMENTS

  1. It is a tradition and every little one must get their pic with Santa. FYI Santa came to our house one year to see Wesley. Wesley has been a believer to this day!!

  2. Ok, this really makes me laugh as I sit here in the hospital with my one day old baby stressing about when I’ll get his picture made with Santa since, after all, it is Laxton’s first Christmas!

  3. This is hilarious Allison!! Love it & Lincoln is a total cutie!!! It’s a great tradition & a must for us, I love seeing the excitement in our babies eyes & hearing them talk to Santa is soo precious!

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