Search for Santa Ends Empty Handed

We took our 8-month old daughter to go see Santa this afternoon.  I was kind of obsessed with taking her to go see Santa.  I thought it was just what you were supposed to do.  You know, a right of passage somehow. I'm by no means a "competitive" mom, but I've seen pictures of everyone else and their kids sitting with Santa posted on Facebook and I thought, well I can do that.  Baby is cute and will LOVE Santa.  Let's do this.    So we get her dressed up in her little "I <heart> Santa" onesie and red pants and throw her in the car.  Somewhere along the way, she falls asleep.  No big deal.  She'll wake up once we get her out of the car.

So we arrive in our local mall's Santa Lane and are lucky enough to score a front row parking spot.  I swear Husband always gets good parking and now that I'm Wife, I'm starting to inherit this trait also.  We park the car and unload baby into stroller.  Still sound asleep.

We walk around and find Santa.  Lucky us -- only 5-10 people in line ahead of us.  A sign was posted along the roped Christmas version of the yellow brick road which detailed the costs of allowing your adorable little munchkin to experience this right of passage.  Well I'm cheap, so my eyeballs immediately gravitate to the cheapest option, the "Dasher Package" priced at $23.  For this, you get 1 5x7" print and 2 3x5" prints.  Hmmmm.  Ok.  I kind of wanted an electronic version.  I read on.  In order to get an electronic version of the print (you know, to post on Blog or Facebook or god forbid, share with Grandparents), we were going to have to fork over at least $39.99.  Whaaaaaaaaaaat?

At this point, I'm actually starting to get angry.  How can you possibly exploit people so badly just to see Santa?!?!?!?  He's SANTA!!!!  While I'm rocking the sleeping baby in the stroller and thinking about if this is a good idea, I notice that Husband is very quiet and patient.  This is uncharacteristic of him, especially in large crowds, while shopping or around the Holidays.  Finally I decide that I am opposed to this and blurt out "Sitting on Santa's lap is only for kids who write wish lists to Santa.  She's 8 months old -- she CAN'T even hold a pencil without trying to eat it."

As I turn the stroller around and navigate our way under the ropes and out of line, Husband smiles and says "yeah, I thought taking a baby to sit on Santa's lap was a stupid idea."

So here we are at the giant mall surrounded by 8 billion other people with a rockstar, and I mean ROCK STAR, parking spot.  The only way this spot could have been better is if we were handicapped (thankful we are not)...or just one of those people who has a handicap parking pass.  We decide to walk over to Total Wine while we're here.  During our stroll across the outdoor mega mall, Husband is whistling Reverend Horton Heat's "Please Don't Take The Baby to the Liquor Store."  http://youtu.be/rWbuvh9tneQ

We are in search of the 2011 version of our traditional holiday treat, the Anchor Christmas Ale from Anchor Steam Brewing Company in San Francisco, California. They've brewed this beer every year since 1975 and it comes in a giant oversized mega bottle.  It is fantastic. But more importantly, for the past 5-6 years, we've enjoyed this beer together on Christmas Eve after the kids are in bed while we're busy wrapping presents and playing Santa. 

We comb the aisles and search the endcaps.   No luck.  We check the surprisingly festive holiday booze display.   Nothing.  We finally break down and ask someone working there.  Sold out.  SOLD OUT!?!?!

Man, today is just full of disappointments.