visit with santa.

The big day had finally arrived. P was so excited he could hardly stand it. Today, he was going to see Santa Claus.

P hopped out of bed, ate breakfast, brushed his teeth, and combed his hair. He was ready to go.

Daddy and P made a list, complete with drawings of each toy to jog P's memory when Santa put him on the spot.


They rehearsed the big visit. P practiced what he would say to Santa, what questions he would ask, and what toys he would ask for. He probably recited his lines a hundred times. "Hi Santa. I've been a good boy this year. For Christmas, I would like a Tonka Chuck, a boy's kitchen, and a Thomas the Train with a lantern. And, Santa, where's the Nerf Pole?" (His words exactly. I promise.)

We waited in line only for an instant. The big moment had arrived. Even EK was getting excited.


Taylor and Santa's helper put P and EK on Santa's lap. And P froze. He was silent. All questions were forgotten. All toy lists were unremembered. But he was not afraid. Just shell-shocked. We did manage to get a tiny smile out of him for the picture.


P's mind was racing. "What do I say? What do I say?" Poor little guy. All of our rehearsing and practicing flew right out the window. But Santa knew just what to do to get P talking. He started asking him questions. Questions about his Christmas list. Questions about his baby sister. And then it all came back to him. P told Santa about the Tonka Chuck and the Thomas the Train with a lantern. He answered Santa's questions. And most importantly, he didn't cry. And neither did EK. They did it!


Afterwards, we headed up to the food court for lunch and then to the fountain to throw some pennies and take some pictures. It was a fun afternoon spent with my sweet family. And as for P meeting Santa, he could not be more excited. Now all he talks about is Christmas Day and all of the toys that Santa will bring. I just love his sweet innocent anticipation. 'Tis the season....