She woke up with a fever that morning and Mr. Lovebird had taken the day off to prep for our cookie exchange party the following day, however we decided to keep her home from school and take it easy. Our original plan was to visit Santaland after school (can you believe Mr. Lovebird, a NATIVE NEW YORKER, had never been???), but Nia just slept and slept and slept. When she woke up she was fever-free and a little groggy, but she was adamant about still wanting to go to Santaland so we packed her up and went.
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| Stank face while waiting for the elevator up to Santaland |
The line actually wasn't too bad. Our first year visiting was a weekday, daytime and we breezed through and last year the line was the worst ever snaking through back parts of Macy's I never knew existed, but this year we didn't even have to do that and got through the line in just under an hour.
What set Nia off first was once we got into the actual Santaland exhibit and she remembered the giant tree. She kept telling us she didn't want to see it but was still looking for it! The elf assured her he was turned off and wouldn't move his eyes or talk to her. She wasn't convinced and started crying as we whisked her past it.
From there she was very cautious and kept peeking to see if she could see the tree from every angle. She wasn't too thrilled about photo ops either.
We asked for a special Santa and it took a while for him to be ready and as the elf guided her down the path and through the cottage doors of Santa's abode she was nervous and stalled when she peeked around the corner and saw him. I tried to coax her in and she took off running out the room and down the path! The elf had to chase her and I went after her too. We got her back in the room, but she would only do this:
So they brought in a special reinforcement elf with pins and she got to pick one to put on her dress like last year. From there I let her know that I would sit with her and she could sit on my lap. She cautiously agreed and Mr. Lovebird captured this moment:
After we breezed right out and walked over to the McDonald's in Macy's where she excitedly ate her Happy Meal and apparently forgot about Santa. Well, that is until the next day when he was not only at IHOP for breakfast (she wouldn't say Merry Christmas back to him!), but at the Twas the Night Before Christmas Party that afternoon.
Sigh. Who woulda thought that after 2 years visiting Santa at Santaland the 3rd year she'd freak out?
I wonder what will happen next year???
Was your child comfortable with Santa when they were younger but freaked out as they got older? Please share!
P.S. Here's Nia's very first visit with Santa, pre-Santaland, in 2010!
