And because I worried that Jack would panic on Christmas Night that we never saw Santa this year and that it'll be 350-something days til we can see him again.
And because Caroline is only 4.
And because of tradition.
Let me tell ya something... if you take your kids to see Santa at a mall on an early release day 5 days before Christmas, you better be going because you REALLY want to be there.
Or because it's Day 20's activity on your Advent calendar.
Or because you look forward to it every year.
Or because you recently received a pretty forceful blow to the head that has removed all common sense.
.................
The line was long. I don't know about the number of people; I only know it took us over 2 hours to see Santa. A Santa that none of my kids believes is the real deal. They believe he works for the real guy, but we knowingly waited in line to sit on the lap of an imposter.
The insanity.
Why, oh why?
Luckily we knew some people a few feet ahead of us in line. Sarah's best friend, Valerie, and her family. Caroline loves Valerie's little sister, Kayla.
Valerie and her brother and sister were dressed beautifully and wintery and warm.
Mine? School clothes and a sleeveless dress with sandals. (I let Caroline pick her Santa outfit and it was warm this morning. Whatever.) Somewhere from the van to the mall entrance they found those Mardi Gras-looking beads. Who knows. I can't explain them.
But having friends was a Godsend.
Unfortunately for Jack, he knew no one and hung out with me mostly.
The other person who hung out with me was the grandmother in front of me. She was super friendly, but to the point of being the person who talks to you on the plane. You have a book, but she keeps talking. You turn the overhead light off and pretend to sleep, and she keeps talking.
She helped me notice when my kids were playing near a trash can. "They might get germy." Ok, thanks.
When I pulled the kids over to tell them not to play with the handrail on the escalator, she explained to them why it was dangerous. Again, thanks, random lady, for helping me discipline my kids.
When it became quite clear that she wasn't going to take the hint and that we were going to be best friends until we saw Santa, I asked her, "How much longer are my kids going to want to do this?"
"Sweetheart, they'll do this as long as you want them to."
So I said, "Whew, good. Then this is our last year."
"Oh no, dear! This is a wonderful time. Even with the long lines. Why-- my daughter believed in Care Bears til she was in the third grade. Then she took a plane ride and was so disappointed when she got into the clouds, and they weren't there. I wish she had never ridden on that blasted plane."
What? I've never known any 9 year old who was disappointed that there weren't Care Bears in the clouds. Come to think of it... I don't know any 3 year olds who have been disappointed by the lack of Care Bears hovering above us.
This conversation is over. Cue: Get out my phone and pretend to be busy. Not that it shut her up. But I tried.
Finally we got to the velvet rope, so to speak. The part of the line where they let you in to the Ice Palace to wait in yet another line. Woo hoo!
I took this pic to kill the time, and again notice what my children are wearing. We are ALL KINDS of spiffy.
Right after this part of the line, you are ushered into the Snow Dome. This is the
"Snow" (aka small pieces of plastic) is falling from the ceiling about 5 feet away from your photo op with Santa.
Jack was rolling in it. Other kids were throwing it. Caroline was catching it.
Now my kids were hot messes anyway so I didn't mind as much, but you could cut the tension with a knife in that Snow Dome. Mothers everywhere were clenching their teeth as their beautifully coifed children had tiny pieces of white plastic in their hair and on their clothes.
After waiting in a torturously long line and doing their best to keep their patience, moms were snapping at their kids to get out of the snow!!
Stop throwing it!
Don't kick it!
Don't roll in it!!
And I don't blame them. It's ridiculous to, in effect, have a "hair and outfit ruiner" just before you've finally made it to the end of an impossibly long line.
Just before my kids met the Big Guy I reminded them just how long
(Translation: You better smile or else!)
And this is what we got. The fruit of our 2 and half hour labor...
Then they gave us a complimentary photo on the ice throne.
One day I'll look back on this fondly. I'll long for the days when we used to see Santa.
Either that or I'll look at the crazy long lines and the children running amok and the parents losing their minds and encourage someone by saying, "Don't worry. This too shall pass."
;)
