Kids Christmas Coup

Every year we hear the same lament.  “Christmas is getting way too commercial.”

I have a great idea of how we could put some of the enchantment and wonder back into the Yuletide season for the children. Ban the photo sessions in the malls!

Let me explain.

Years ago I accompanied a young mother when she took her two little boys to the mall to visit Santa Claus. While standing in a two hour line with a chorus of babies’cries ringing in my ears, I watched various groups of teenage girls, taking turns sitting on ST. Nick’s knee to have their picture taken. There were also some idle retirees who thought it would be cute to send a photo taken with Santa to the kids back home. To be fair, I’m sure they didn’t realize how many minutes of precious toy ordering time they were wasting.

I saw scores of children climb onto Santa’s lap, settle in for a nice chat, only to be commanded to say “cheese, hit with a blinding flash, and when whisked away to make room for the next victim. The elf brigade with their cameras had landed!

As we waited in line with our toddlers, the joy of the season slowly disipated like whip cream losing its’ “oomph” on the season’s hot chocolate. The five-year-old had completely given up waiting and was polishing the mall floor with his new jeans. His two-year-old brother’s screams of hunger were echoing throughout the halls.

A shoving match broke out behind us. One discouraged four-year-old tried to take hurry things along by taking cuts. The offended kid cut on sent the cuttee packing with a hard shove. Tiny nerves get shot too, while standing in long lines.

How can we recapture the Yule tide season for the kids?

Easy. The same way the young mother with me did. She politely declined the photo pitch from the cute little elf with the camera. I could have sworn I saw the elf shoes curl tighter in shock when my young friend explained. “My boys are here to do some serious talking with Santa Claus, not to have their picture taken.”

I wanted to shout, “Hooray! Good for you!”

There was a time, not so many years ago; when watching a child visit St. Nick was a joy to behold. The wait in line, sans photo sessions, was no more than five or ten-minute’s tops. The child could climb on Santa’s knee and talk to the big guy to his hearts content. No one cut short the serious conference about which type of baseball mitt was best, or was Wedding Barbie better than Tahiti Barbie was.

I don’t know when the annual visit to deliver the wish list was turned into a photo session. Parents have gradually been caught up in the trap of “everyone has their child’s picture taken with Santa. How else will they remember the occasion?”

Trust me. The kids will remember. The memory will be tucked away in that special place in their heart where one on one conversations with larger than life adults always reside.

Wouldn’t it be great to pick up the newspaper one-day and read these headlines, “All Santa’s helpers carrying cameras banned from the malls?”

I’m sure it would please one tired, little boy I overheard as I was leaving. He looked up and said,  “ Daddy, couldn’t we just go home and fax Santa my Christmas wish list.”