SANTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know him! I KNOW HIM!

On Saturday, we went to see THE Santa Claus. I was slightly disappointed last year when we found out that the Santa that's been at the mall for like, 100 years, was no longer there. I thought the worst, but discovered he had to retire because he had back surgery...too many kids, I s'pose. He was the perfect Santa Claus. He didn't wear the red coat and hat like we know Santa wears when out delivering presents on Christmas Eve. He wore the outfit Mrs. Claus made for him to sit around the house and relax in. A white, billowy shirt with ruffled front. A green velvet vest with gold buttons etched with scenes of his reindeer prancing. He had pants, too, don't worry...but I can't remember what color they were...a brown linen maybe? Black boots. And the whitest, softest, fluffiest beard and head of hair you've ever seen. And it was REAL. He exuded jolliness and cheer. I'm telling you...he was THE Santa Claus. But he retired. And last year, as we were strolling through the mall, glancing at store windows, I looked down over the railing to the Winter Wonderland below and saw...AN IMPOSTOR! In the words of Buddy the Elf, he sat on a throne of lies and smelled like beef and cheese. I knew he wasn't the real Santa, but he's a pretty close second and he would have to do. So, that's who we went to see this year.

I very well know that the girls have no idea what's going on and they won't remember this first Christmas at all. But, by golly, we'll have pictures.

I was surprised to see how many kids in line were about to jump out of their skin if they didn't see Santa RIGHT THEN, but when it actually got to their turn, they took one glance at Santa and made a beeline for their parents, screaming hysterically...a few Army crawling their way to safety. The parents would shake their heads, annoyed after waiting in line for 20 minutes, take their kid in hand, and stomp away. And then, a few yards away from Santa's hearth, the kid would collapse in on themselves, a weeping heap of emotions, because they "WANTED TO SEE SANTA!!!!!" Good grief, children, pull yourselves together!

But, my gals were pretty brave. Harper was a little less than enamored with him, but Piper Lee was smitten with his rosy cheeks (but mainly his shiny glasses).