Santa Terror, Yet Santa Letter

Happy St Nicks's Day! {Late. As usual.}

So, Santa. Another year, another terrified Nathan meltdown. No one is surprised by this anymore, right? (I kind of was, actually. Am I dumb?)

We took the kids to a birthday party for some church friends last weekend -- siblings who share a birthday, but two years apart. Except it was also a Christmas party. With Santa making a guest appearance. (Confused yet? Me too. But it was sweet and the kids had fun, so hey whatever works.)

Well, I should say, some kids had fun. Most kids had fun. Most of my kids had fun.

Anneliese colored pictures and wore reindeer antlers and an elf hat, and was worried but eventually brave enough to talk to Santa (no specific requests, whatever he wants to bring her #adorable).

And Charlotte crawled all over the place and squealed happily and only fussed once, when we put her in Santa's lap. We rescued her immediately after this photo op:

But oh Nathan. The coloring, he loved. The cookies, he loved. He even wore some felt antlers! But the Santa misery continues.

He spent the second half of the party in tears, waffling between so badly wanting to be brave enough to talk to him and get a candy cane or stuffed toy, but unable to stop the tears streaming down his face to make it happen. Even while standing in line. (It sounds sad now, but I will be honest and admit that in the moment it was mostly frustrating.)

I don't know if he's just unusually fearful or if getting burgled the fall when he was three permanently confused him about strangers in his house at a crucial age. Whatever the reasons, he remains terrified. Like, maybe more scared of Santa than anything else I can think of (off the top of my head anyway).

At the very end of the party, he did accept a candy cane (passed through another person) and mumbled bye and thank you to Santa, but seemed distressed the rest of the night.

Until the next day when he wrote the most perfect Santa letter (his first!) the world has ever seen, and no I am not just saying that because I am his mother IT IS THAT GOOD. I will keep it forever and ever amen.

(In case you can't read kindergartner: Dear Santa How many minutes to the North Pole? Will you please bring me a soft t-rex and a Henry he is a train does he know the Polar Express Merry Christmas Love Nathan ... "and then I drew a church and a reindeer and elves and wrote Christmas again.")

Thus proving again that he loves the idea of Santa and we shouldn't push a real Santa. Yep, that's still where we are.

Oh and a bonus picture of Anneliese, the toothy elf:

Now excuse me while I go melt into a lovedrunk mommy Christmas puddle.