12.17.2008

Santa Take 2

On Monday we decided to take Lorelai to see Santa. To save ourselves some time, we opted to take her to a close-by mall. I won't say where (*cough cough* it rhymes with "steak lied"). I don't want to get into the details, but basically we encountered the worst-behaved employee of 2009. I left in tears and marched my rear over to the mall management office as fast as my feet could carry me and filed a written complaint. If you know me, you know that I am pretty anti-confrontation, so, that should tell you that this was B-A-D.
We had gotten our Santa photos, but Tim and I were NOT happy. The encounter ruined our whole day. I guess most people would just let it go and move on, but I couldn't even bear to look at the pictures. There was no way I wanted those photos be be a part of our family collection (I have yet to upload them or even look at them).
I just couldn't move on until we had the Santa experience Lorelai deserved, so, on Tuesday we set out for Sommerset Mall (where we took Lorelai last year). The experience was everything we hoped for and more. Sommerset doesn't do santa like the other malls. For one, you don't wait in line. When you arrive, they tell you when the next available appointment is. This gives you time to finish your shopping while you wait (and man did I hit a monster deal at the Gap!). All the Santa employees are dressed up in Renaissance outfits to complement the huge castle set. You pay a small fee (which goes to charity) to take your own photos. When it is your turn to see santa, they announce each child's name (with the addition of "lord" for the boys and "princess" for the girls. Sommerset's Santa really must be THE real deal because man, is he jolly. The employees were fab in helping us get the closest thing to a smile we could get out of Lorelai.
Once you are done seeing Santa, they give the kids 3 silver coins. You can then spend the coins at various stores. For example, Pottery Barn Kids gave Lorelai some stickers and Mrs. Fields gave her some cookies.
I know some of you will think I'm silly for placing such importance on Lorelai's Santa visit, but, well, we all have our traditions. I can't really explain why it's so important to me. I will say that we left our second Santa visit feeling like a King, Queen, and Princess :)



2 comments:

Amy Clary said...

I can't believe someone made YOU so mad that you marched yourself to mall management. That person must have been a nazi.
I'm glad your "take 2" turned out better for you. You deserve to have a good experience for all the trouble you go through in keep the tradition. :)
Lorelai's such a beauty!

jallen said...

Lorelai looks so cute with her new hair cut, I love it! I can't wait to hear about your deals at the Gap. I LOVE Gap deals:) See you soon!