Santa

On Tuesday night we took Oliver to see Santa. It all started when Brent realized that Santa was going to be at the Independence Kroger between 3 and 9. We were thinking it would be a good way to avoid the mall crowd, get a quick picture made, and save some money. Plus during my Black Friday shopping I had picked up an ADORABLE outfit for the occasion that Oliver could wear.

Getting dressed to go see Santa

I made sure to get home early so we could be at Kroger by 5:00. It turned out that the Kroger Santa, though free, was quite lame. He and his wife had great intentions, but he barely smiled, his wife was quite scary as Mrs. Clause, and Oliver was not even sitting up straight. Though no money was spent, the time was invaluable. The main reason is because Oliver's "fussy time" usually goes between 6 and 7 each night.

Kroger's Santa and Mrs. Clause

However, since he was dressed, we took a risk at taking him to the mall for another attempt for a better shot with the big guy though we knew there would probably be a long line and the cost would be ridiculous.

After a quick bite to eat a Chipotle, we headed to the mall for the grand adventure. We were right about the price, though the line was great. We learned quickly that the best time to go see Santa at the mall is during the week. We waited less than 10 minutes. Going to the mall Santa was great! Not only was he friendly and had a real beard, but the picture (yes we bought one...) was great!

So Oliver got to see Santa twice in one night. He did not cry at either one and honestly seemed to enjoy the second one because Santa's suit was so cuddly and warm. It was pretty funny though because the entire time Santa at the mall held him he tried to get him to smile and he would not. Every time the camera was not looking he snuck in a grin. None of them were caught on camera. So there's this year's Santa story...

Santa at the mall