A few years ago we happened to be at the Bass Pro Shop during December and discovered that they had a cute Christmas village set up in the back of the store where you could have your picture made with Santa. At the time, this was a little known fact, and there was hardly anyone in line. The whole experience was surprisingly quaint.
Well, fast-forward to 2011, and everyone now knows that Santa sets up shop at Bass Pro. In fact, the store advertises this fact all over their website. Word has gotten out. And, I must say, their little Christmas village has lost much of its charm.
Nevertheless, when the weather turned cold and rainy/snowy mid-week, I thought it would at least be an entertaining outing to go see Santa at the Bass Pro… if not just for the sake of tradition.
When I looked on their website they suggest that you visit on a weeknight to avoid long lines. So, I chose Wednesday evening. Well, apparently Wednesday is the new Saturday night. Who knew?
We pressed on, though, securing our place in line and patiently waiting as it creeped along inching ever closer to the man in red. The Toddler was having a difficult time understanding the line system and the Preschooler was acting as if she had been popping chocolate-covered espresso beans all afternoon, but we were finally nearing the big chair.
But, then, when we were three families away from our turn…
Santa had what appeared to be a sudden incidence of low-blood sugar. I know he must have been exhausted, not to mention hot under all those lights. Who knows how long he had been posing for pictures? But, I think Santa might be a diabetic. And, that’s a serious matter.
So… we all watched and waited while Santa first disappeared behind the set for a few minutes… and then while Santa held his head in his hands and wiped the sweat off his brow… and then while Santa drank a Coke. {The Spouse noted that this would have made for a great Coke commercial, and I would have to agree…}
Several minutes passed and then Santa motioned that he was ready to resume the pictures.
Thank goodness. Because it was going to be hard to explain to the girls why Santa had passed out.
Of course, when we did finally get our turn on his lap, the Baby was sound asleep in her carseat and the Toddler became mute. Plus, the girls weren’t dressed appropriately… as my mom would say, “They looked like little urchins.”
So, I present the older urchins…
All things considered, Santa was looking pretty good.
If you’re expecting a visit from him at your place in a few weeks, though, you might want to consider sitting out a Coke in place of that milk.
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