Santa's lap

I have a confession.  I've never taken my kids to see Santa.  Is that totally terrible of me?

I've pondered why this is the case.  I think it's because Mariah, being the first child, never wanted to see Santa.  I remember entertaining the thought of taking her a few times when she was little, but she never showed an interest and when she saw him in the stores around Christmastime, she would hide and never go sit on his lap.  So, I supposed all my kids would be shy and not want to visit the man in the suit.

It's probably a good idea not to assume every child is alike, because guess what?  All the kids (except Mariah) were excited to see him and sit on his lap.  I was pleasantly surprised (and felt a bit guilty for not taking them sooner).

We even had some time to visit with Santa after the pictures because no one else was waiting in line.  We asked him the question we always wonder and discuss in our family:  How does he get into the house?  It's a huge debate for us.  I say he always comes down the chimney, even if there's a fire.  Jason says he comes through the front door, so we have to make sure to leave it unlocked.  Some of the kids think Daddy lets Santa into the house in the middle of the night.  It's quite the mystery.

Santa said he likes to go down the chimney, but not all houses have chimneys.  So, in that case, he goes to the door, and somehow, every time, it magically opens when he reaches for the knob.  He said it has always happened like that.  He reaches for the door and..... it just opens.  He's never had a problem with it.  He definitely has some Santa-magic going on.  And now we know the answer to our mystery.

Mariah still didn't want to sit on Santa's lap.  She hid herself in the store and didn't show her face until she knew he was safely out of the building.  She said, "I don't like people dressed up."  So, she posed for me anyway in Santa's chair, just to prove she was there.  Silly girl.