A wail-ful tale with Santa
Start with a mother’s wish for a holiday keepsake. Add nervous
children and one large, bearded man dressed in a bright red suit.
Surround mixture with elves and a camera. Add a pinch of toys and
candy, to taste. Mix well inside a crowded shopping mall for two
minutes.
Then stand back.
A wail-ful tale with Santa
Start with a mother’s wish for a holiday keepsake. Add nervous children and one large, bearded man dressed in a bright red suit. Surround mixture with elves and a camera. Add a pinch of toys and candy, to taste. Mix well inside a crowded shopping mall for two minutes.
Then stand back.
Following this simple recipe will yield endless holiday laughs, 15 minutes of fame and a Hollister grandmother’s gentle I-told-you-so.
Julie and Mike Mitchell of San Diego thought this year’s visit to St. Nick might be different. After their son Max’s chilly response to sitting on Santa’s lap last year, they approached this year’s encounter seemingly quite prepared. Not only did Julie have plenty of lollypops and Hot Wheels cars on hand to bribe Max and his younger sister Maya onto the lap of St. Nick, she had spent the previous week trying to familiarize her children about Santa with books and videos: a full-out Kris Kringle PR campaign.
“I think he was really into Santa until he saw the ‘actual’ Santa,” Julie said.
Nevertheless, onto the lap they went.
Once 16-month-old Maya burst into tears, there was no stopping her older brother.
Julie kept things in perspective and decided that, after all that work, she would at least get one photo out of it.
“I don’t care what comes out, just take it!” she told Santa’s crew. “Just snap away.”
After a few clicks of the shutter, she promptly removed her children from Santa’s lap and the crying ceased immediately. Likely Santa was a bit relieved as well that the whole ordeal was over.
Initially, the photo was only sent to a few people, including Mike’s parents who live in Hollister. The loving grandparents enjoyed the photo, but Julie did admit to having been warned by her mother-in-law that, after last year, maybe trying to get a Santa photo might not be the best idea.
With the help of e-mail, the Mitchell’s holiday photo quickly spread from one smiling recipient to the next. The photo even made an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Julie and Mike had no idea that a whimsical photo shoot of their kids would become part of this season’s Christmas pop-culture.
The passing of the holidays may send this photo into the family archives for a while, but it will surely have a second coming. Guess what photo will be waiting on the coffee table down the road when Max or Maya bring home a special suitor to meet the family?
