The Magic of Santa Claus

We took the girls for their annual Santa visit Friday night. Even though we moved in August, and now have a perfectly good mall just a mile from our house, I made the decision to go to our "old mall". They have the same Santa every year, and he is just adorable. He has a real beard and always looks genuinely happy.


There may have been a bit of nostalgia mixed in with that decision. Lauryn was just 8 months old when she first sat on this Santa's lap, and we've gone back every year.

Lauryn was beside herself. Seriously, she could not stand the excitement! It was so much fun to watch! Here she is standing in line, and just caught her first glimpse of Santa.

I could tell she was a little nervous, but not because she was afraid of Santa. She wanted to be sure she told him exactly what she wanted. And for those who don't know my daughter, she would like a "Belle dress, a Cinderella dress, a Snow White dress, a Tinkerbelle dress, a Ariel dress, and shoes and necklaces." She will say that exact same thing no matter how many times you ask her what she wants from Santa.

She's a girl who knows what she wants.

Luckily "Santa" found a set of four princess dresses in a catalog, complete with shoes and accessories. I can't wait to see her face on Christmas morning!

So anyway, we made our way through the surprisingly short line (at least shorter than I imagined it would be this time of year). Lauryn ran up to him and yelled, "Santa!" and gave him a huge hug.

Our big girl had no fear!

Can't quite say the same thing for our little girl.

Sorry it's a picture of a picture, but I don't have a scanner.

Anyway, after we took the obligatory Santa 2007 photo, I rescued Allie from Santa while Lauryn continued to beam. I couldn't really hear her, but I could see her little mouth moving a mile a minute. She was not leaving anything out. Santa nodded, gave her a hug and sent her on her way with her candy cane.

We bought our pictures, had a good giggle about Allison's face, and headed through the mall back to our car.

About halfway out of Macy's, Lauryn stopped and in complete panic yelled, "Oh, NO!!!" We asked her what was wrong. Through her tears, she said she forgot to tell Santa about the shoes and the necklaces.

We stifled our laughter and told her with a very serious face that Santa has been doing this for lots of years, and he already knows that shoes and necklaces go with princess dresses.

She bought it, and we were on our way.

I love how she was reflecting on the whole thing on the way out of the store. She probably replayed the entire conversation in her mind.

Some of my favorite childhood memories involve wondering about Santa and the anticipation I felt on Christmas Eve. I hope she never loses that sense of wonder, and carries these fun memories with her throughout her lifetime.