Santas We Have Known

I just haven't had the energy this year to trek to the mall with 2 kids, stand in line, and do the traditional Mall Santa scream-fest.  Dexter likes Santa and all, but mostly from a distance.  He's not psyched about actually going close to the big man.  Plus, we've seen Santa already this year.  Times four...

There, of course, was Santa at Daddy's work.  A very cool Santa who has snow globes.

We also saw Santa at the MOMS Club Christmas party.  This Santa was met at the door by a huge gaggle of excited children.  And he arrived on a fire truck.  He was a very nice Santa.

It, quite honestly, brought a tear to my eye to see Dex talking to Santa so earnestly.  I have no idea what he was talking about.  In all likelihood he was simply asking Santa for a candy cane.

Santa said he hadn't held such a little baby in a very long time...

I thought we were going to have to do some fast story telling on the morning after the MOMS Club party, when Dexter stated that the Santa at the MOMS dinner had a longer beard than the Santa at Daddy's work. And OH!  SHIT!  Quick!  Think up a good story!  But John did some good redirection (LOOK!  I saw a light!) and all was forgotten.  So we think.  Not much is ever really forgotten in this boy's mind.  Unless it's something like me telling him to hang up his coat.

Santa came for a visit on the fire truck one evening.  I almost forgot he was coming, and then saw the note on the fridge and wrote "Santa" on my hand.  During dinner I got John's attention and showed him my hand, not wanting to talk about Santa coming to visit in case he came so late that Dex was already in bed.  It didn't work.  Dex simply looked up and asked, "Mama, why did you write Santa on your hand?"  Damn three year old child who can read...

He was not psyched about talking or even coming close to this Santa.  Apparently fire trucks freak him out.  After this Santa visit he asked why Santa always comes on fire trucks.  And his Hess fire truck has been delivering presents to everyone all week long.  Although Santa has also been delivering presents via Hess airplane.  Faster than reindeer, I suppose.

Finally, Santa came to visit at a cookie exchange we went to with our Bel Air mom friends.  Dex wanted nothing to do with him, except to go up and ask Santa, "Do you like candy canes?"  Santa was a little confused, til he figured out that really Dexter was just asking Santa for a candy cane.  That's all Santa is good for in Dexter's book.  Candy canes.  He likes candy canes.

I think we're kind of in the holiday spirit here.  We've got some presents under the tree, although we still have more to wrap.  But with kids as cute as these, who needs more presents, really?