We realized last Easter that you can go to the mall and take pictures with the bunny for free. Essentially they turn off the light and let you do your thing. If you decide to go with their service, the light comes on, they take the picture with the entry level DSLR, and charge a a day's pay for the photos.
So we figured we'd take the girls to the mall today for pictures with Santa. Taylor (aka Bah Humbug Because I Know About Santa) didn't want to do it but Cartesia certainly did. When she got up to Santa she was very shy and couldn't even tell him what she wanted. He did manage to get a few words out of her and didn't rush because we were the only ones there. When he offered her the bracelet she lit up. She then got an extra toy.
She then runs over to play on the kiddie rides and loses a magnifying glass she got. She cries and runs towards Santa. He calls her over. Comforts her. Ties her bracelet to her wrist. More little toys. So then we walk around a bit waiting for the other girls to get done shopping, Cartesia gets not one but two samples from the chocolatier, then goes back by Santa. He calls her over again. More talking and another little toy. As we walked around I literally had to drag has past her newfound friend.
I was tempted to whip out the camera while he was comforting her but decided to just take in the moment. He was probably the best Santas I've seen. And YES, his beard is real