ISN'T SANTA SUPPOSED TO BE JOLLY?

I seriously love Santa and the whole leaving cookies and milk that I get to eat - hehe- and leaving reindeer food out so I love to take the boys every year to see Santa and take a picture. They are only young once and don't seem to believe for very long! Actually before I get into my story I don't completely understand parents not doing the whole Santa deal. I know people who tell there children from the start that Santa is not real. HELLO this kind of makes it harder for those of us who let our children believe! There are a few kids in Elijah's class who are non-believers and they have made him ask me MANY difficult Santa questions this year which I DO NOT LIKE BECAUSE HE IS TOO YOUNG TO STOP BELIEVING! However me and my dad are very good and have reassured his faith!! I just don't get not letting them believe while they are young it is part of the fun of Christmas and it won't hurt them, I promise! Elijah wrote Santa several letters this year - two wish lists and countless questionnaires. One letter went like this: Dear Santa, I want a Ben 10 game. How do you fly your reindeer? Do you run into planes? How do you give presents to everyone in one night?......................it went on and on apparently his teacher helped him write it since he couldn't possibly have done it all on his own.....thanks Mrs. Wolters! ANYWAY Saturday I took the boys to see Santa and he was there however the line was closed so they could shut down for Santa to eat and go feed the reindeer! Not fitting into my schedule Santa! Think it is diet time because I have soooo much to do today and this does not help me out! SO needless to say we did not make the Santa trip again on Saturday and instead went Sunday late morning. Just my luck there was a line - a long long line full of crying children! Everytime I have been to the mall lately there was NO line but of course I didn't have my children with me - what are the odds?! Isaiah has the serious Santaphobia that many small children get but we had high hopes this year since I have really played up the whole Santa picture trip! I promised him some M&Ms, Pop (he thinks carbonated flavored water is pop - yippee!), and he could even open one present if he sat on Santa's lap to take a picture! Sad I know but you all know you've used bribery since it is part of parenting 911!!! He was soooo excited and ready to go until we get into the line - you know the long line of children tired of waiting in the line to sit on the lap of a stranger to take a picture for mommy - gotta love it! He would not let me put him down for more than a couple of minutes without throwing an end of the world screaming fit and Martez took the stroller out of the car to load our presents to take over to my mom's house. Needless to say I thought I would need to ask Santa for a new arm since I thought it would fall off at ANY minute! No matter how miserable the two of us were and I was almost at the leaving point, I couldn't leave because I helped Elijah write a new wish list and questionnaire to Santa and he was too excited for words! He just kept watching him in awe. Well it was our turn and Isaiah is past the point of no return he's saying "I wanna go home, I don't want canny! Pease momma pease!". Elijah walked up and handed Santa his list and they chatted for a moment then do do do do........Isaiah joined the picture and WOW that boy has some lungs!! Cracked me up though once I got past the embarrassment! Santa is saying "No kicking, no kicking! Don't kick me!" while attempting to hold Isaiah's legs down! "STOP KICKING!" Santa needs a new job because the real Santa wouldn't act like that. Well then I notice the photographer really trying to catch Isaiah's attention with a stuffed animal.......SERIOUSLY.... you expect to calm him down with that......that was funny! I tell her just take the picture I don't care if he is screaming because he won't stop and I'll just show him how he acted when he is older WHEN OUT OF THE BLUE SANTA SAYS "GOD JUST PLEASE TAKE THE PICTURE!" Oh hell no.....security to Santa's little house of horrors! Just kidding! All I have to say is you shouldn't take a job as a Santa in a mall if you can't cope with crying children because that is PART OF YOUR JOB! Children will cry at some point during the whole sitting on Santa's lap experience but they get over it and move on while their mom's have the token "crying on Santa's lap" picture for the scrapbook. Mine qualifies more as a "screaming, reaching for anyone while kicking a not so jolly but still smiling Santa" picture of Isaiah while Elijah smiles on! Elijah really said that night after his bath "I've been thinkin' mom Santa was really not nice to Isaiah! Do you think he put him on the naughty list? Is he still going to bring him presents?" How sweet is he! You know he was probably worried about that all day. If he only realized Isaiah pretty much stays on the naughty list - HA HA - seriously though he does!