There are a few things that I really hate. I’ll keep this short – stepping in water with just my socks on. Traffic, looking for a parking space, and standing in line. I avoid doing these things at all cost but I could make an exception because after all, it's Christmas.
So when my daughter requested on a very stormy Christmas Eve that we go see Santa Claus, I hesitated. I was working on this blog and having a horrible time figuring out how to get it finalized by tomorrow, but duty called. If my granddaughter wanted to see the old guy in action well, these are the kinds of sacrifices that we are willing to make.
We put on our rain gear and trekked to the car and found parking and the wind blew our umbrellas inside out, but we were on a mission. We knew Santa was somewhere between Macy’s and Nordstrom’s and now it was really pouring. We followed the signs to his workshop which was a pop-up in a store that was very festive but unsettling. There was absolutely nobody there except for Mr. Claus and some people at the cash register. A perfectly natural bearded Santa was sitting in his chair all by himself and he looked a bit forlorn so of course I walked right up and sat on his lap.
What a two-year-old thinks she wants and what happens when she gets it can be two different things. (Apply this to grown-ups as well.) She tightened her grip around her Moms neck and wouldn’t let go. Bribing a kid to do anything is not a good idea but once you’ve spent $29.99 for the photo package you’re allowed to bargain with your ethics.
Eventually she sat on his lap long enough to get the photo taken and after that was done I went back to hang out with Santa who was pretty bored. “The weather outside is frightful” I told a him and then he asked me what I wanted for Christmas.
The only thing I could think of were the inmates who couldn’t even go to the mainline in the pouring rain. My daughter asked if she could take a picture on her cellphone and this is the post.
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