Santa!

Yesterday Emma and I went to the mall to do a little Christmas shopping and who did we see? Santa! Although, I felt a little silly, I wanted to have Emma's picture taken with Santa. Not because she would understand, care or remember the experience, but because it's cute! You only get to experience your first child's first Christmas once. I think it would be neat to be able to look back over the years and see pictures from the time she was a baby with Santa. Hopefully, she won't notice that Santa may not look exactly the same from year to year!

I was a little nervous about the Santa situation because let's face it - Emma is ... shall we say ... moody. I figured that one of two things would happen. She would either love it and be enthralled by all that Santa is. Or she would have a complete and total meltdown. She had stayed awake for the entire 25 minute drive to the mall which was surprising. She did it with a smile though and just played happily with her linking rings. She even remained happy making the transition from the car to the stroller and into the mall. She was still agreeable and awake as we came to Santa's village. Taking a picture with Santa, though, is much more expensive than it used to be. When I was a kid it was a fake beard and a polaroid. Today, Santa has a beautiful suit, a real beard, long hair, no hat though, and comes with a minimum purchase of $25. I walked away and came back a few times, not knowing whether or not to spend the money. I was so disappointed at the thought of not having the experience. I decided that it was worth it, she was dressed to see him afterall, and we could get a little Christmas present for the grandparents out of it.

We made our way up to the beautiful couch nestled amongst frosted Christmas trees and wrapped packages. There was an even younger baby in front of us making me feel a little less silly. So far so good as far as Emma behavior was concerned, which quite frankly was shocking to me. I was sure that any minute she'd have a meltdown or fall asleep. Kuckily, neither happened. As we patiently waited our turn, I suddenly had a frightening thought. Emma has recently learned to grasp things. Usually it's my necklace or my shirt or more painfully ... my hair. What if Emma grabbed Santa's hair or beard?! It hurts! I would be mortified. Before I could think too much longer, it was our turn. I held Emma as I introduced her to Santa. She studied him as he talked softly and kindly to her. I'm not sure why I was surprised by it. He is SANTA after all! He carefully took her into his arms knowing exactly how to hold her so that her hands wouldn't come in contact with beard or hair. He must have done this a few times.

She sat there calmly. Not moving. Perhaps wondering what was actually happening. So far so good. The photgrapher took a few pictures, but no smile. She asked me to stand behind her and try to coax Emma into smiling. I began to act like an idiot and 'coax' her in ways I never had before. I felt a bit silly, especially since it wasn't working. I had to shout and wave like a fool because I was so far away from her. I'm pretty sure she couldn't even see me. Finally though, she shared a smile with Santa and the camera. Success! No tears and a cute picture!

2 minutes and $25 later, I had a sheet of four pictures of Emma with her new favorite man as well as a sweet memory. I'd love to show you the picture, but ... I can't ruin it for the grandparents!