Santa Baby, II

“No – I NOT gonna sit on his lap,” he said, his brows furrowed and his eyes slightly slanted to really let us know he means it. “No – he’s s.c.a.r.y.”

The hubs and I exchanged looks as if to silently ask, do we really torture our kid like this? He’s only two after all and right at that age where he’s just not down with things like inanimate objects that truly don’t really make sense. I mean a dude with lots of facial hair and a slightly ridiculous outfit that rolls with animals you don’t even see in western Shawnee? Tentative. But after a few moments of quiet, the car trekked on and so it was, like the super-awesome parents we are…we took him anyway with hopes he just might perch on the knee of Jolly Ol’ St. Nick.

And so we enter the Santa Photo workshop at Town Center where the same grinning Santa that had held a sleeping three-month old, a confident one-year old and now hopefully bonded with a two year old sat patiently as one red and green plaid clad child climbed up on his lap after another. Juggling the toys and catching a few shots of a Disney flick (genius Jordan Photography), our son peered around anxiously as if awaiting his turn, chattering on how he was going to score a candy cane and share his deepest desire for a blue motorcycle. Feeling more at ease with our position to push him outside of his comfort zone with the chimney-shimmying man, we poised to take the turn behind the curtain and wander in when…

All hell broke loose.

I personally can’t remember much but my parents trying to be helpful, the hubs making cut noises at his neck and a photographer sweating and trying desperately to make these parents’ Christmas wishes come true while at one point Santa just went ahead and hid behind the tree behind us. Not a set of crayons, candy cane or Mommy right by his heels was gonna work, so kudos to Jordan Photography for at least catching these:


I mean, my heels are literally touching his behind and there’s a dog toy in his hand, but hey – it matches his sweater, right?

So thank you Santa, for still bringing that motorcycle despite our minor freak-out at your version of Kansas City’s North Pole. And to Jordan Photography gal with the funky hair cut for not giving up.

We owe you.

See you next year for Santa Baby, III???