It's That Time of Year....

So we went to the mall this past weekend.

And by we, I mean myself and the four children.
We went to the mall on the weekend before Christmas.
Further proof that my mental state is in question. As if further proof was needed.

The kids received a gift from their grandparents in Texas and we had to complete it. They each got an unstuffed Build-a-Bear, and a gift card, so we spent a long time at the furry friend store. And actually had a lot of fun. It really was a neat gift idea, and all four of them LOVED it!

When we were on the elevator, a well meaning lady started talking to my kids. She asked them, with great enthusiasm, if they had gotten to see Santa yet. To which all four kids just stared at her blankly, as if they hadn't just waved at Santa and talked about how they were glad we weren't in the nine-mile-line to sit on his lap. No response. None. At. All.

So I answered her politely and said, "We waved to him." She shot me a look as though I must be horrible for not taking my children to sit on Santa's lap. It was easy to see she felt sorry for them for missing such an opportunity.

I started to explain to her that we never go see Santa.
Never.

Not for any religious reason, or belief or anything.

But just because every single time for the last 10 years that we have tried to get a Santa picture, it goes something like this....
The children beg and beg and beg and beg, "Can we pleeeeeeeeeease go see Santa?" So, thinking it would make a cute picture that we would treasure forever, I cave in and say "Of course we can! That sounds fun!" And so we go. And we stand in a long line. And they are so excited. Until it's our turn. And then they refuse to go anywhere near the big red guy. And they cry. And wail. And scream. And then I look like the parent who just had to have a Santa picture, even if it meant torturing my kids.
So at some point we just stopped going all together, even with the begging. And you know, they don't even ask anymore.
They are perfectly happy to just smile and wave. From a distance.
It was just not worth the stress it was causing. I have enough trouble just trying to get a single Christmas picture with all four of them looking halfway decent at the camera all at the same time.

Anyway.......after the awkward elevator ride, we did a bit more looking around. At all sorts of things, including some very interesting people.

And only one time did *someone* in our group have a meltdown. (Maybe I should've taken a picture of that to show to Santa. Hmmmmmm.....)

But to tell the truth, an outing to the mall, with one parent and four children, on an extremely busy shopping weekend, that resulted in having more fun than meltdowns is, in itself, surely a Christmas miracle.