Adana's Christmas Experience

Adana's chosen Christmas experience this year was to see Santa. This posed a slight problem for me, however. First, a little stroll down memory lane . . .

When I was a girl, Santa came every December to the Eastgate Mall in Walla Walla. He had quite a set-up there in front of Hatfield's - a plush red velvet throne, surrounded by acres of fluffy cotton snow and dozens of the cutest anamatronic elves you ever did see. Oh, how I loved that Santa village! Now, I'll grant that my memory may be a bit incomplete here (and Mom, you are welcome to correct me if I'm way off). But as I remember it - Santa was not just the crown jewel of the mall, but he was, in fact, FREE. In other words, any child was able to climb up on Santa's lap and whisper her heart's greatest desires in his ever-listening ear, and Mom wasn't stuck with a $39.99 bill for a cheesy 5x7 and 2 wallets.

Sadly today, for too many of our dear little ones, that cherished experience is a vague unknown. In fact, Adana had never sat on Santa's lap because I just wasn't going to shell over the bucks required at our mall. So when she enthusiastically declared that she wanted her Christmas Experience to be sitting on Santa's lap . . . well, I was a little concerned, and I dragged my feet on fulfilling this particular request.

Thankfully, a local store came through for me. I saw a sign posted in a shop window downtown declaring that SANTA would be visiting on Thursday, December 16th! Can't you just hear the herald angels singing!? (Or at least a slight "Hallelujah" from my tightly-wadded checkbook.)

Adana couldn't take her eyes off Santa. We actually arrived at the store a couple minutes before he did, and as soon as he walked in, she rushed up to him and gave him a huge hug! Without the slightest hesitation, she climbed right up on his lap and told him, "Santa, I love you!"

Adana was so enamoured with Santa. They chatted about school, her pretty brown eyes, and the fact that it was her birthday and she was now 5 years old. But when he finally got around to the big question - "Did you have something that you wanted to tell me?" - her reply was "Just that I love you!"

The boys thought that was great, because a few weeks ago, when Adana was going on and on about Santa and presents, I declared that we were going to skip the presents this year so that Adana could learn about the TRUE meaning of Christmas. So when she was sitting on the big guy's lap and all she could say was how much she loved him, they all looked at me with gloating faces, as if to say, "Ha! Bring on the presents!"

I finally convinced her to face me so I could snap a picture. And Santa finally convinced her to tell him what she wanted him to bring her: a Pocahontas doll.