Ho Ho Ho!!!

In case you missed it, most of the times my blog entries are about patterns in the Mud Puddle’s behavior and include examples of said behavior. This time I am going to cover a specific event, which will offer no insight that I am aware of.

So Monday I picked the Mud Puddle up at daycare and he was boasting to one of his friends that he was going to see Santa that night. Now I had told him we MIGHT go see Santa on Saturday but somehow between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. it had turned into ‘right now’ and was worthy of bragging to his little buddies.

That day had also been picture day at day care (they do it much later for daycares then regular schools – hence the picture taking closer to his birthday on our own) so he had been sporting a nice plaid button down shirt but had abandoned that in favor of a white, cheap t-shirt. Not exactly the attire I would have liked for a picture with Santa but I weighed my options:Mall on a Monday night might mean fewer shoppers, shorter line and less hassle. But it also meant I would be taking him solo and he would not be in the outfit I had planned. I called Scott to clear it with him and we were off to the Mall.

As I had suspected there was hardly a crowd (although parking was still a nightmare – go figure, good thing I have a special parking angel who gets me spots up-front – my Aunt Gladys the best at getting the good spots) and we went straight over to Santa’s village. There was a harried looking elf wolfing down fast food behind the desk but no Santa. I didn’t want to interrupt the elf’s dinner so I asked the other parents milling about where the jolly man was and was told he would be back in 15 minutes.

So I tried to talk the Mud Puddle into running our other errands before Santa got back. Nothing doing. He wanted to queue up in that line and WAIT. I believe I have explained the differential in time perception between a four year old and a 35 year old before (15 minutes to me – nothing but a blip, 15 minutes to him, a day and a half) and his patience wore thin QUICKLY. We stood in line, he kept touching the fake snow and asking how Santa would get back into his village and basically sat three seconds from Full Spaz Mode for the entire duration of the wait.

We were pretty close to the front of the line so we didn’t have long to mull about once Santa got back (without being seen, thus heightening the belief that he is Magic).

We get to the front and the Mud Puddle goes up to Santa and gives him a hug – Santa is not sure what do with this as most kids just clamor up on his lap and start asking for toys. Not the Mud Puddle, he just wanted to hug it out with St. Nick (he loves to hug: friends, dogs, stuffed animals, holiday figure heads). So there was an awkward moment where Santa is trying to pick him up and the Mud Puddle is trying to hug him.

They finally get synched up, and the Mud Puddle tells him he wants a castle. And…. And that is it. He is ready to get down. It is like he had a mental check list: Hug – check, Ask for Castle – check. Done. Now, I had told him he was going to have his picture taken and we had ‘practiced’ smiling. But now, the smile was not even forced, it was just a brief curl of the lip. Santa decides that tickling him will do the trick – um, not so much.

The Mud Puddle does not like to be tickled by anyone not on the Approved Tickle List – which Santa apparently did not make. So he starts to look uncomfortable. And then disgusted. Who was this bearded man to try and elicit a smile from him? As if.
And the result? Well the picture you see here. The woman asked if I was SURE I wanted that one and I said ABSOLUTELY. Happy Holidays indeed!