Mom, Outnumbered: Five Years of Santa

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Five Years of Santa

The first time we took the kids to see Santa, Alexander was three and Jack was one. Alexander was shy at first, but ultimately thrilled. Jack... not so much. We started a tradition that day, though, of attending Frederick County's Visit with Santa each year. None of the kids ever got quite as upset as Jack did that first time, but we've never gotten the perfect picture, either. We've always slipped the youngest one in for a quick photo op and then removed him while the older one(s) chat longer. Santa always brings Mrs. Claus with him on these visits, and both Mr. and Mrs. Claus always recognize our kids from year to year, commenting each time a new one arrives. This year Santa actually mentioned the gift that Alexander and Jack had asked for last year! They spend a nice amount of time with each family, often producing bell ornaments from amazing places. (Seriously, this time one appeared in Kai's pocket and even I wasn't sure how it got there.) And we've always planned to be early, often first or second in line. It's been wonderful, and we weren't sure any of Santa's visits to our new area could match up. So we went back to Maryland! It was a quick, whirlwind visit, but we were able to see a couple of friends, Santa, my aunt, and Justin's whole family. For this post I'll just include five years of Santa visits.