>Santa, Baby.
>The intensive training began weeks ago.
“This is Santa Claus,” I told Baby, taking a large, carved Santa out of a packing box and placing him on the hearth.
“Santa wears red. Santa has lots of toys.”
“Tan-tah!” she said. “Tan-tah! Tan-tah!”
“Santa will bring you toys on Christmas morning,” I said. “Can you give Santa a kiss?”
Obligingly, Baby took Santa by his head and planted a kiss on his nose. She looked back at me, grinning.
“That’s right!” I laughed. “And what does Santa have for Baby?”
“Tow-wees!” she crowed.
“Right. Good girl!”
The reinforcement continued each day. Santa Claus is Coming to Town was sung ad nauseum, along with Here Comes Santa Claus and of course, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Santa books were read. Santa movies were watched. Everything was Santa. Santa, Santa Santa.
“Baby is going to see Santa soon,” I’d tell her each time I changed her diaper (the only time I just might have her undivided attention). “Baby will sit on Santa’s lap and then Santa will bring Baby toys. Does Baby want to see Santa?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And what will Baby say to Santa?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Baby will say, ‘I love you.”
“I LAH vewwww!” Baby giggled.
Oh yes. The time had come. We were ready.
Other toddlers could scream in Santa’s lap or squirm or cry. My baby would smile and say “I lah veww.” Maybe she’d even clap her hands and giggle. My baby knew that Santa had tow-wees. She would not be afraid.
This morning, it was finally time for a Santa visit. At the mall, the line was short, the bottle of milk was downed and all was good. I carried Baby to Santa’s waiting arms. Warily, she dropped her head to my chest. Uh-oh. The Little Baby Regression Mechanism. Not a good sign.
“This is Santa Claus, Baby,” I reminded her. “Santa has toys. You sit in his lap and then he’ll bring you tow-wees.”
Baby didn’t budge.
“Santa Claus, Baby. Ho ho ho! You’d better watch out, you’d better not cry!”
Baby’s grip tightened. I heard a mother sigh in line behind me.
Finally, I prised Baby from my chest and handed her over to Santa.
“Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh-EEEEE!” she shouted, panicked.
The camera began to flash. There was no turning back. Neither her sister nor I could coax a smile from Baby’s face. After the initial squeal, she sat, quiet and sad, eyes locked on mine, silently willing me to get her the hell out of there.
At one point, Santa tried to tickle her. With a deeply offended look on her face, she slapped his hand away.
Three pictures later, Santa’s Elf, dressed in disguise as a Limited Express-clad twenty-something, gave me my choice of three portraits.
Bad, real bad, and godawful.
This whole I love Santa thing is sooo not off to a good start…
>Gorgeous…just gorgeous…And the only thing that is WORSE than this happening with one child is it happening with two…One of my twins threw up and the other one refused to even get near him…*grin*Oh, happy times…Minerva
>She’s a doll, though!
>Isn’t BABY CUTE! And you’ve got her hair in pigtails already! My daughter’s is too fine and a little too short for that yet.Well, look at it this way. You at least GOT a picture. I have one of my big backside bending over trying to get my little one to even come near to Mr. Kringle. She curled up in a little ball, like a turtle going into its shell and it was all over from there.I admire your prep-work though. I didn’t do near that much ahead. Next year, I’ll start in October and use your method. Maybe I’ll at least get a picture.LOL!
>She’s gorgeous! My girls did the same thing the first time they went to see Santa.
>That is NOT a bad picture, some of the ones that have been online would make you see that photo is adorable. Very realistic Santa and OMG she is a living doll. (plus, now you have a terrific story to tell her when she is older)
>She is so cute! I love the dress and her hair is beautiful. You know she’ll laugh about this in a few years.
>not to be evil or anything but have you ever noticed that Santa dresses in red and if you re-arrange his name it spells out Satan? do babies every where know something adults don’t? LOL…cute photo. happy solstice
>She’s so pretty! My girls won’t go near Santa, so you are doing better than me. Rachel likes the idea of Santa leavnign presents but not coming in the house. I have to tell her that Snta’s reindeer bring the presents in becuse Santa knows and understands that she doesn’t wnt him in the house.
>I love that about Rachel, Raehan. You should write about her not wanting Santa to come inside. It’s very funny.Siobhan, I confuse Santa for Satan all the time. In writing, of course.Thank you all for your words of consolation regarding my sad little baby. It’s cruelty really, forcing her to sit in a strange man’s lap for a picture, but hell. I couldn’t resist.
>Next year will be better, because you can show her this year’s picture during the year and remind her how nice he was.And I think this photo is beautiful. She is so lovely!
>Why is Santa in a Lay-Z-Boy? ;P
>What a dress! At least you didn’t have a red faced snot nose to go with the red bows. Merry Christmas!
>Awww! It’s not that bad! What a cutie!
>That’s adorable!! SHe doesn;t look like she’s screaming though..it’s more like she’s saying, get me out of here !
>You’ve never heard of a Santa in a La-Z Boy? That’s part of the charm of suburban Santa photos!At least she was comfortable…
>A delightful shot and it looks like you have a “real hair” Santa!!I’d glue a miniturized version of your story text to the back of every copy you mail to any relative or frame and hang in your home.
>Oh, but it’s bad in a really really cute way!
>Busy Mom said she’s a doll and that’s what I was thinking. You’ve got a real live baby doll! 🙂
>With a face as sweet as that, she could give Santa the finger and he’d still fill her stocking to the bursting point.Wait a minute………her right hand is sort of hidden in the folds of her skirt…….
>She only looks a little like she’s about to be tortured…