2018 was the year of change in Christmas traditions. For as long as I can recall, we have always gone to see a local play, A Christmas Carol, then gone to the mall for lunch and shopping, and, lastly, gotten our pic taken with Santa during this time. My house is decorated with Santa pics dating back to when the boys were babies.
This year was to be different. This year, A Christmas Carol wasn't to be performed. This year, Colin was in school until December 18 and wouldn't be home for our trip to the mall and, most importantly, Santa pics.
So, I made the decision to do "real" Santa pics with the two bitty babies. Merry Christmas to ME! I wanted classic photos and more memories to have for the years to come. I found a fabulous photographer and, poof, she made the magic of Santa a beautiful reality for the three of us.
There is a story tho, and one that must be documented for Cha's sake. It will be a story that I will tell for many years to come.....the year Cha went to see Santa with nothing on - gasp!
Our mornings start early. Everyone has to be up by 6:30 and out of the house by 7:00. And this morning was no different. We had early Santa pics and they were all the way across town, a good thirty minute drive without traffic.
The dresses for the littles had been ironed the night before and bows laid out too. So I woke the girls, curled their hair, fed them breakfast, put their dresses on and out the door we went. We took MK, Maddox and P to school and we were off to see Santa!
The photographer's home was the setting for our pics. Her home is beautiful and looks like the setting of a movie....it's an older home in a very quaint part of the city. We entered through a side door into a sunroom filled with toys and cookies for the girls as they waited their turn to see Santa.
The photographer's husband greeted us and chatted with me as the girls happily played. It is funny to note that all of the toys were for little boys, no dolls or Barbies, and my girls were in heaven. They were building at the workshop and scooting trains around the train track....it was a fun sight to see!
Suddenly, Cha yelled, "I've got to go POTTY!"
Of course the bathroom was behind closed doors very close to where Santa was sitting so it took an act of congress to tiptoe quietly with my very curious Cha and get to the bathroom without disrupting Santa's time with his current little person.
Alas, we made it, and just as I always do, I went to lift Cha's dress, pull down her little panties and help her to sit on the potty. It was at this time that I realized she was commando with nothing on that cute little tush.
I went into shock mode - how was she going to sit on Santa's lap without anything on under her dress? What if she decided to pull one of her amazing gymnastic stunts and flashed everyone, including Santa? What in the world was I going to do?! I had NOTHING, no panties, no diapers, no NOTHING.
And then I remembered. I DID have something.
Cha had a runny nose and as we were getting out of the car to go inside, I felt it was best to wipe it really well before making out debut. Of course, I didn't have tissues in my car so I desperately looked around for anything I could use to wipe her nose with. And there they were, a pair of clean little panties, sitting in the center console of my car for an emergency.
I snatched them up quick and wiped her very runny nose instructing her to blow really hard for me too! We were all clean and, as a last minute thought, I stuck them into my purse "just in case" we needed them again for another little wipe of the nose.
So here we were, in this gorgeous little bathroom, with a bare bum and our only hope was a pair of snotty panties that were sitting in my purse in another room of the house.
We finished up, washed our hands, and tiptoed back to the playroom. My purse was sitting with our things and I snatched it up to be sure the panties were in there. Being that we were in this little room with a man we didn't really know, I was trying to be discreet in how I proceeded with getting those snotty panties on my sweet little Cha.
After a few moments, I said that maybe we should go back to the bathroom and wipe her nose - now, we all know I was really trying to get back to the bathroom so I could get those panties on her without a show. The man was so polite as he walked over and handed me an entire box of tissues and insisted I use as many as I needed to get her ready for her visit with Santa.
So, I was left with no choice, I took the box of tissues and headed over to a little corner of the room, praying he wasn't looking, and I quickly put those snotty little panties that had been balled up in my purse on Cha's little bum.
And off she went! She marched her little self in to see the bearded man and proceeded to win him over in her own little way.
Both girls adored their time with Santa. He was so good to each of them, reading to them and making them giggle. Of course he asked what they would like for Christmas....Maryn said an electric scooter, and Cha said a "baby cry"....that is a story for another day! And I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear as I watched these two little joys, my daughters, soak up their time with this magical, unsuspecting man. Of course, I was a bit giggly on the inside too knowing what was sitting on Santa's lap. He had a whole lot of love and a little bit of "ick" sitting on that lap....but I guess that is how it always is as we are all full of laughter and goop, right?
