Aaliyah’s first Christmas. A milestone I have been looking forward to since the day she was born. It is a magical holiday and I can’t wait to spend every one making it special for her. My parents gave me that gift and now it’s my turn.
Aaliyah was just old enough to actually enjoy some of the festivities. Our first activity for the holiday season was taking Aaliyah to go see Santa. Or at least for her to meet Santa Claus for the very first time. We took her on a Monday night, because we figured it would not be quite as busy. We met my mom, Krystal and Shelby at the mall. We chose South Coast Plaza, because it is the same place my brother and I went to see Santa Claus when we were kids. It’s nice to share those traditions with my husband and Baby Girl.
Our wait was pretty minimal. Which is always nice with a baby. Fortunately Aaliyah was in very good spirits. Shelby went first, because she was so excited to see Santa Claus again. When it came time for Aaliyah, George took her up to put her on Santa’s lap. I stood back with the photographer to take some pictures. While I was focusing, I heard a grunting noise, followed by a little girl calling out, “she’s pulling Santa’s beard!” I looked up to see that Aaliyah had a hand full of Santa’s whiskers. And she was holding on for dear life. George quickly got her to let go, and Santa was a pretty good sport about the whole thing. I felt really guilty, because I didn’t even think about warning him.
But the best part happened when it came time to pick out her pictures. The photographer shows us the shots she took, and the first one was perfect in every way. Then in the second you could see Aaliyah reaching up at Santa’s beard. And the third she’s grabbed hold of his beard and Santa’s mouth is agape. Priceless! The best time released sequence of events. Even though the pictures were ridiculously over priced, we had to get the first and the third ones. They were just too good to pass up! Hopefully Santa is very forgiving, because I’d hate for her to be on the Naughty List already. It’s too soon.
What funny stories do you all have about your kids meeting Santa Claus? I’d love to hear them.
Adventures in Motherhood 