My daughter loves Santa or she loves the idea of him. We watch Santa movies, she leaves cookies and milk out for him, and she gets the biggest excitement from tracking his sleigh on Christmas Eve night.
The problem is that she is TERRIFIED of seeing him in real life.
She has always had a strong dislike for costume characters, but since Santa’s face isn’t covered, I figured she would be fine. She is not. When she was two-years-old, I was dead set on having the most magical Christmas and I couldn’t wait to get the perfect photo with my daughter perched on Santa’s lap, delirious with happiness.
Our local community center was hosting a visit and pictures with Santa, so my daughter and I donned our Christmas best and headed out to meet the big man. Everything was great. She had a blast making Christmas crafts and seeing all the decorations until the big man came out. She started crying as soon as he sat down. I finally calmed her down enough to get in line, but when it was our turn with Santa, she burst into hysterics, complete with floor flops and feet kicks. She wouldn’t go anywhere near him. I had to carry/drag her out to the car. No Santa picture for me that year.
The same has carried on over the years. She refused to be anywhere near Santa let alone sit on his lap. I’ve considered it a win if she even takes a picture with Santa somewhere in it, her cousins holding her with Santa peeping in the background, or me holding her with Santa smiling far, far away.
But this last year, I may have just cracked the code!
Now that she is older, she is able to communicate her feelings better. After speaking with her, we realized she does want to meet Santa. She fully believes in the magic of Christmas and wants to ensure the big man knows exactly what she wants under the tree. The problem is, she’s scared and intimidated. So after talking it through, we set up some boundaries. My daughter is not comfortable sitting on Santa’s lap. She is fine meeting him, telling him what she wants, but does not want to be pressured to sit on his lap.
With this knowledge, I make sure to advocate for her every time she meets Santa. This past Christmas, she was so excited. She even brought her toy magazine so she could point and show Santa EXACTLY which toy she wants. And as soon as it was her turn to see Santa, I told the workers that she just wants to stand near him and does not want to sit on his lap. If they try to push for it, I strongly state, “No. She will not be sitting on his lap.” With giddy excitement, my daughter stood next to Santa and Mama got her picture. Everyone was happy!
