Our Santa Tradition.

by

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In the second batch of photos we received of our daughter (8 days after she was born) she was in Santa’s arms.

As secular Jews we found this a little funny, but coupled with the fact she appeared to be sleeping whilst holding up her finger as if to say I’m number one!! we decided the entire thing was hilarious.

And a tradition was born.

A tradition that most likely would never have been launched without that photo sent from Guatemala.

She and I, like many Jewtemalans and their CrAzY mothers mothers and daughters, make the trek to take a yearly photo with Santa.

Unlike most duos, however, there exist a few rules.

First, We cannot plan or prepare for the Santa photo.

No hair brushing. No proper apparel. Always spontaneous.

Second, except for 2 Christmases we didn’t live here, the Santa photo must be taken at a specific Austin mall.

(a corollary to this is we spend hours afterward hanging in the food court debating if it was the same Santa as previous years.)

One year she insisted, while wearing her pajamas as a dress, it was definitely time take the photo:

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Absolutely no idea what we’d been planning to do this day before she spontaneously announced: Santa time!

Movie at the mall, perhaps?

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This was the Holiday of the Bad Bangs Experience (those suckers took ages to grow out.).

Thankfully she was 4 (& apparently really happy to see Santa) so she didn’t care…

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She was around two in this photo and we were most definitely at the mall just killing time.

I was not yet confident in my mothering abilities or, apparently, my ability to shove my Jewish glutes onto Santa’s lap.

I love how I’m wearing my diaper bag backpack IN the photo and she’s wearing her Wait what?! I have no idea what’s happening! expression.

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Post-soccer game.

Pre-food court snack.

Back in the DAY when Austin was warm in the winter.

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This picture is one of my faves because it simply looks so awkward.

Oakland, California. Petco. Post Doodle-Grooming.

The (finger quote) Santa (unF.Q.) neither looked like Father Christmas nor seemed to want to be there.

This one was all the child’s idea. Charming and I were none too enthused.

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Another Oakland Christmas season.

The picture looks “normal.” The experience was anything but.

(I think I was excited because she made Spontaneous Santa Day one where I could photo document the fact I DO sometimes wear real clothes.)

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And then there’s this one.

Just a few days ago.

My favorite, favorite one yet and one which gives me hope our tradition will continue as she grows up.

I’m still not certain which of us is Rory and which is Lorelai (can we both be Lorelai?!) but I hold my breath each season and wonder if this is the one she’ll either not suggest we do photos or say NO when I make the suggestion.

For one more year at least our Spontaneous Santa tradition continues.

This year (same mall. definitely different Santa) was one of the quirkiest yet.

Her idea.

Freshly hennaed hands.

Santa whispering to us how his wife, Mrs. Claus, is Jewish and is nudging him to change his name to Joe Hanukkah.

Photographer shouting: SILLY ONE! as we sat down (check out Santa’s hands) and still being utterly shocked when this is the photo we actually chose to purchase:

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Today, not for the first time, I wish blogs allowed for photo-comments.

I’d love to see images of your oddest, happiest, messiest, silliest, CHRISTMASiest experience with Santa in the comments below.

<3

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Comments

  1. My best Christmas photo would be of my children, proudly standing in front of the tree they’d just decorated. It was lopsided, with almost all of the ornaments concentrated at the bottom of one side, and it was beautiful, we left it that way for the whole season. Now i’m missing lopsided trees.

  2. I love love love your tradition! I have never ever sat on santa’s lap. I refused as a child. It’s just too creepy! I never pressured my kids to see Santa. Just ask if they wanted to see him. It’s been a NO! up until a couple of weeks ago when they randomly, enthusiastically hopped on his lap. If they can do it, so can I. But it will have to be like cool Santa in the last pic!

  3. I love this so, so much just because it’s a tradition!!! It’s something you and your daughter share and, as a motherless daughter I cannot tell you the importance of it!!
    I shared the photo of my sons on my blog of this year’s picture with Santa and how my mom would have been “rolling in her grave” because they had jeans, Minecraft t-shirts and Vaughn insisted on wearing his “spy goggles!” I think it’s one of the best yet and no, we had no idea Santa would even be there. LOVE!!!
    xoxoxo

  4. The last picture is simply amazing. Can’t think of really great Christmasy moment to share, but I will share the following: when I was in chorus in 5th grade, we were singing at the Festival of Trees, and we had 3 kids pass out during one song. Apparently, we couldn’t handle the pressure.

  5. Haha, love it! probably my fav family holiday photo is of all 5 of us around the elegantly dressed table with spoons precariously dangling off our noses, like “no big deal”

  6. Now I feel kind be of sad that I have no pictures of my sons with Santa. Not sure why. Maybe is was because of the one picture I have from my childhood, sitting on Santa!s lap, looking shy and terrified.

    Maybe if my mom had joined me…

  7. I have a friend who has had her two children photographed with Santa EVERY year – they now take themselves off to find one each Christmas especially for their mum (they are 27 and 25!) – who then posts it on Facebook to rub our noses in how great her kids are and how we all failed mum school (not really – but I tell her that’s her reason!) Obviously you’re going to be just like her – lucky you 🙂

  10. My daughter and I were talking about this yesterday. She refuses to have the twins pictures taken with Santa because she is afraid to “traumatize” them. I tried to explain how much she will enjoy those pictures later, but she wasn’t budging. She said it was worth terrifying her kids for a picture. She’s really going to miss it, but she’s the mom so it’s up to her. I love these pictures and how much fun it obviously is for the two of you. Love the last one the best!

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