Although my family doesn't celebrate Santa, we still make the visit to see him each year at the mall. My kids know we don't do Santa, and yet each year they go along with my desire to get the picture of them with the jolly old fella.
I was looking around the house tonight for the oldest picture I had of us with Santa and I think if my memory is right that the first time we did this was 2005 when Deacon was just weeks old. First of all, how stinking cute is Cayden with his long flowing blond locs and second, OH MY WORD I look tired. I didn't even birth Deacon, but I was tired. At this point, Cayden wasn't even two yet. Deacon was weeks old and I was barely learning this mom-to-two life. Also, Aaron has his earrings still. I remember that. That was one of our biggest fights ever as a married couple. I'll tell you that story soon!
Then I remembered how much I loved last year's Santa picture. Call me weird and evil, but I love it when kids are sitting on Santa's lap screaming for their life. Seriously, they are traumatized and I'm the mom that is crying from laughing so hard. The only that keeps this from being extremely creepy as a mom, is that they don't remember this. They will get over it. Also I have seen other moms in my same shoes. Tears streaming down their face from laughing so hard at their poor kids expense. Please tell me someone out there reading this understands this and also laughs. Please. Don't leave me hanging here.
Anyhow … this was last year and my sweet niece Lilly lost her mind over Santa. All while crazy Aunt Jamie laughed so hard she was crying. She got over it. Trust me. This year she didn't even budge and went right up to Santa. She'll never remember 2011 when she was traumatized by Santa until she reads this post and sees this picture. Here, you tell me. This is funny!
So, this year we went back to the same mall we went to last year and took the kids picture with Santa. They are all getting so big that NO ONE cried this year. It was kinda cute and I was also kinda sad. Sad, because I had nothing to laugh at and sad that our kids are big. None of them are young enough to be scared by Santa anymore.
The best thing that came from this year was what Story told a friend the next day after this picture was taken. Some friends asked her if she had seen Santa and she proudly proclaimed “yes, but it wasn't the real Santa because that Santa was black, and the real Santa is white.” I could have died. Yes, I have failed as a transracial parent!
Do you do Santa pics? Leave a comment HERE and share your link with me so I can laugh at your crying kids!
