A Picture with Santa

You wouldn't believe all the drama that went into getting this one cute little picture of my granddaughter Ella sitting on Santa's lap.

First, there was the outfit, which I think is absolutely adorable and Molly, Ella's mom and my daughter, thinks is only acceptable for wearing once -- in this picture. And then only because I insisted. I found the lined wool skirt with embroidered snowflakes at a resale shop in Indianapolis on our "Wingard Girls Shopping Weekend." It was from Baby Gap and it was in excellent shape (having probably been worn only once by someone else's granddaughter), and it cost only $4. I HAD to buy it. Then I found the cutest little Peter Pan collar shirt with red piping to match. Great outfit for a picture with Santa!

Then, there was the timing of the visit. With visions of the perfect scrapbook page dancing in my head, I couldn't wait to take Ella to see Santa. I was geared to go right after Thanksgiving, when my oldest daughter, Meaghan, was home visiting. But Molly was working and didn't want us to take Ella without her. Understandable. So I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, on December 23rd, I realized I was running out of time. Molly was not planning on being in town on Christmas Eve, so it was now or never.

Despite the forecast for freezing rain, we dressed Ella in her "Suzy Snowflake" outfit, made even more adorable with the addition of a sparkly red shrug sweater, then bundled her up to take her to see Santa. However, Santa took the weather forecast seriously, and closed shop early. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. Molly finally agreed to bring her back the next day -- weather permitting.

Hooray! The roads were clear on Christmas Eve and we tried once again to get Ella's picture with Santa. The cute little red sweater had gotten lost somewhere from the night before and Ella had dumped chocolate milk on her snowflake skirt, but "Oh, well." I was finally going to get my picture!

(For the record, Ella recognized Santa this year, squealing "SANNA CWAUSE" every time she saw an image of the jolly, old, fat man. However, she still had no idea what "Sanna" was all about. Still, this recognition bode well for obtaining a picture with her on his lap this year, since last year she could only be lured near him with a candy cane.)

Although clear, the day was biting cold and there was a line to get into Santa's house. Santa seemed oblivious to the half-frozen children and parents lined up outside to see him, as he took his time with each little boy and girl who came to pose on his lap. (It was a good thing he was preoccupied at the time, because he missed seeing how naughty Molly was being while impatiently waiting in line.)

At last, it was our turn to get inside Santa's cozy, warm house. Ella went right up to Santa and sat on his lap. But try as I might, I could never get a good shot of her looking at the camera while on his lap. What you see here is the best of the bunch - a triumphant shot of her hoisting a candy cane. As best Ella could determine, this was the sole reason for our visit, anyway.