The Seidel Family: Breakfast with Santa

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Breakfast with Santa

For some crazy reason, and because clearly I need more to-do's on my plate, I joined the PTO for Atticus's preschool. Honestly, I love helping and learning ideas from all of them. I signed up to help with Breakfast with Santa on December 6th from 9 - 1pm. It was their 2nd year to put it on and for $5/person it included a breakfast, a craft room (major fun crafts including letters to Santa, making reindeer food, making ornaments, coloring, making little wooden baby Jesus' for the manger, etc.), a vendor fair, a silent auction (that I was in charge of), and the biggest thing was seeing Santa and getting pictures with him. As I've said before, this is the first year Atticus has been interested in sitting on Santa's lap and even telling him what he wants...a dromedary. He went back and forth throughout the morning deciding whether to go talk to Santa. And, I had told myself if he didn't, it wouldn't be a big deal. The line was kind of long and I didn't want to push. But, I was helping work the Breakfast with Santa event and while my duties were over until the very end when I closed the silent auction, I had to stay. So, we decided when the line went down, we would get in it. Plus, I hadn't gotten a picture with Santa yet and this one was a great deal. You see - the PTO hired this photographer to come in and setup her room with a backdrop and I think maybe she even provided the Santa costume? One of the grandfathers dressed up as Santa. When they took the pictures, we would get a link to the pictures and download and print them for free! So, essentially for every $5 ticket purchased, you would get a picture made. Considering how expensive this is everywhere and how this was a true professional, I really wanted to take advantage. So, we waited in line for about 15 minutes and in we went.

First things first: remember my previous posts on taking Grace's pictures since she turned one? Every time (and I think we've attempted 3 times now) we have taken her into the studio for pictures, she has screamed and cried and we've barely gotten anything good. This is a huge contrast to Atticus, who at that age and even now, has always cooperated for pictures. Grace will take them well when it's me and my camera as well as did great this year for our family portraits. But, put her in a studio and she hates it more than anything in this world.

I wasn't actually thinking about that when we walked in until she just started screaming. There were lots of people, I was holding her, everything was calm, but she screamed. So, Atticus went up to Santa and although much more shy than at Santa's Wonderland, he told him what he wanted for Christmas. Then, they took a couple of pictures. Then, I thought we'd just get a group picture with Santa. So, the 4 of us got up as close as we could and Grace screamed and fought to get away! They barely got a picture and boy is it a memorable one! I really do plan to print it to frame for next Christmas so we always remember it.

Overall, Breakfast with Santa was a hit and I hope to help with it again next year! But, when you get to the pictures below, you will see why I hope this "picture in a studio even if it's a fake studio" phase passes for little Grace.