06 December 2009

meeting the man himself

friday night my winter wish came true; i got the quintessential snapshot of my little boy with santa. of course i didn't even realize this was my winter wish until i saw him through the glass. santa claus. without any line. just waiting. for a darling little boy to sit upon his lap.

we were out and about in the quaint downtown where we live. the old buildings with windows outlined in lights conjures bedford falls every year. so picturesque. to tell you the truth, we hardly ever take benji out after bedtime, but this was a good excuse; the town celebrated the official switch of twinkle lights. we bundled up and moseyed the city streets, i was humming christmas songs the whole time. there were carriage rides and chocolate treats. it was a perfect night. we passed by a pretty art gallery and i peered inside. my jaw dropped. i spied santa claus perfectly perched for his gig. hardwood floors, oil paintings, a grand piano and santa claus. what could possibly be better? i had no idea why he was there or what private party i was about to crash, but santa is santa. i suddenly had to introduce him to my little one.

i took dan's hand and led him around to the entrance, giving my one year old a quick tutorial on santa. benji was bewildered and in awe of the giant man. he toddled toward him. i'd assumed benji might become a bit nervous or clingy or maybe have a complete fit over meeting this colorful stranger. but benji eagerly went to him with what i saw as sugar plums dancing in his eyes. of course it could have been the allure of shiny plastic cloaking a candy cane in santa's hand. santa was as kind and jolly and lovely as you'd imagine him to be. we placed benji on his knee and reported what a good boy he's been. benji's wish list is comprised of anything with wheels. (have i mentioned that my boy loves wheels? put him in a department store, a library, a post office, sportsmans warehouse... and he will hunt for an object with wheels. the librarians are often stopped by this cute cart cop. if he could spin gold on a wheel with rumplestiltskin, am sure he would.)

all this to say, meeting santa claus was magic. more for me than for benji i'm sure, as so many events are in these first few years. however, to me the occasion marked the beginning of childhood christmases, the beginning of family traditions, the beginning of believing.



merry christmas, st. nick.

27 comments:

Jenni said...

That is a truly adorable photo!!!! I hope you frame it and bring it out each year as part of your christmas decorations. My mom did that and had 3-4 from throughout the years that she would arrange on the wall. It was always so much fun to look at them all!

Miranda said...

oh bravo benji! my baby-cakes wanted nothing to do with the big man in red...except she did take his candy cane. :)

Megan said...

Wait--a little one that didn't scream when first encountering Santa? That's a Christmas miracle. All those under three seem to lose their lids when being handed over to the big guy. Your Benji deserves an award.

Cassie said...

Congratulations what a treasure of a picture! One which will stay firmly planted deep in your heart forever now xx

katrina lauren said...

a beautiful and magical memory...i love reading your words; you make everything so real...like we're there. what a special christmas moment...your sweet little benji is adorable way up high on ol' st. nick's lap!
holiday cheer to you my friend
xo.
k

Dawn said...

Yay! Benji looks so smitten. :)

[eeny] said...

What a darling picture of that big magical moment in little Benji's life.

Johanna said...

so very sweet. benji is just adorable.

J, K, L, and D said...

That is one adorable little boy!

--r said...

i know it's been said before, but oh my goodness that's one cutie of a boy! such a sweet expression on his little face...and the hat! gotta love a boy who knows how to sport a good hat!

Jake said...

Cutest li'l elf ever!

Jen Holtkamp said...

what a perfect picture! benji is adorable! his eyes are so sweet!

summer said...

talk about a perfect encounter. and his setting sounds so regal, compared to the middle of the mall crowd. so cool, marta! and i love that you went to the lighting ceremony- that is something i dream of doing.

i have to ask about that hat benj wears. it is full of 'a christmas story' charm and i'm wild about it. where did you find such a perfect one?

Kelly said...

he's getting so BIG!!! i love this photo. perfect for sure.

xo
kelly

Krista said...

such a cupe pic! sid would chase strollers around the mall, wanting to push them himself and watch the wheels. boys are so funny

Hannah said...

benji's eyes are the cutest! he is such a darling little guy. glad he did so well meeting santa!

Tiffany said...

Your boy is so adorable. This picture will be a treasure for a lifetime! Most kids look horrified at that age! :)

kristi said...

How sweet. Love this story!

kate reymann said...

1) He is sooo cute!

2) Where did you get those awesome little shoes?

Anneliese said...

i think you must have really come across THE santa claus! (if you look on the schedule....HE probably wasn't scheduled to be there :) just resting...)

Dansie Family said...

james was so excited to see santa at our ward party this weekend. once the jolly man walked into the room, james would not let him out of his sights. he tried to follow him all around until we grabbed him to finish his supper and freshen him up a bit first. when we told him he could go find santa, he did just that on his own, searching every room until he found him. at which point, he very confidently marched to the front of the long line without any regard for the others and took his turn on santa's lap. i guess he was too cute to reprimand because once i found him, gleefully carrying around his candy cane, the others in the line just chuckled and told me what had happened.

Francine said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Pixie said...

Sounds like such a fun evening, even if it was after bedtime.

Jessica said...

Ah.. he's so cute!!! I'm jealous that he'll wear a hat.
Have a lovely day!

talesofahummingbird said...

what a perfect santa claus you found! and a sweet memory made, for sure.

Travelin'Oma said...

Yes Benji believes! Yay! Christmas presents will come for sure!

Jaimie said...

i wish i had a hat like that for my little guy. he needs something with ear flaps. he has one, but he seems to be outgrowing it already. : (

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