Santa's in the house..........

I recently chatted with Santa after he went to a X-mas party hosted by my sister for her daycare. Some of the more interesting parts of our discussion.

-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are still very popular with kids. Santa said there were at least 5 boys that wanted nothing but TMNT toys of various forms.

-Dolls are not always first on the list for little girls. Animals appear to be nearly as popular. Kitchen sets are a big thing too.

-When Santa sees a young boy named 'Henry' running around screaming, he knows that he's going to have a handful when it's Henry's turn to sit on Santa's lap.

-The kids and their reaction to Santa vary quite wildly. Some are gung-ho and ready to sit on Santa's lap and have a chat. Santa found in this group that a high-five was a great way to at least get the kids to approach him if they were scared.

-Santa had no issues with people pulling on his beard to check to see if he was a real Santa. The only issue was one mom who decided to make a big deal about asking what kind of facial cream Santa used to make him look so much younger. Santa just laughed a jolly laugh and ignored her.

-Santa knows what it's like to be a superstar. When those kids sit on his lap, their eyes show a true sense of wonderment. They know how big this moment is and they look at Santa like he's a superstar. It's great to see that kids still do have a solid role model in Santa.

-Kali 2.10 was at the party with Gwen 2.6. Mrs. Lime was not at the party initially. When Gwen went and sat on Santa's lap, she told him all about the horses she wanted. Kali was right behind her and jumped right up on Santa's lap and explained that she wanted princess slippers. However, when Mrs. Lime showed up later in the party, Kali cried and screamed when asked to sit on Santa's lap. It's an odd thing how different kids act depending on who's around.

-When a child is misbehaving at a party and Santa comes over to chastise them for their behavior, they listen far more than they ever would if any parent would have said something.

-Santa was treated to a pizza lunch after his big party. It's not easy figuring out how to handle 30+ kids and how each of them will react. But Santa said it was a great experience and that he'd do it again without question. I can certainly see how much he enjoys his job and how addictive it can be to give happiness to kids.