Saturday, December 10, 2011

My Pal, Santa

Sometimes, Santa makes you smile. He makes you remember the simpler times, like these.

Yes, that's a really young me, apparently super eager to tell Santa all about my holiday wishes. Though, looking at this Santa, he seems like he's ready to launch me off of his knee. Or sell me into slavery. 

I don't even remember what could have been on my mind. Maybe I'm not so much smiling as I'm talking through my teeth, begging my parents to get me away from this guy. I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure I could do this then. I am incredibly talented.

Also, according to my keen Google skills, that sign proclaiming it's more than 35,000 miles to the North Pole is full of egg nogg! It's like, 4,000 miles. Who did that guy think he was fooling? Sure, they didn't have the internet then (yes, I am that old), but they had these things called maps on paper. Someone in charge should have looked that up. Not pointing at Santa, but I'm sure he has an assistant or at the very least a PR person.

Here, I'm a little older and wiser. And this year, Santa has changed. He no longer needs the gloves, he's lost his sign of lies, and he has roped in what looks like the meanest reindeer of them all to sit with us in the picture.

Here, I'm not exactly giving Santa my best grin. This might be around the time I started questioning what this was all about - I mean besides the presents and the songs and the movies. It looks like Santa is questioning things, too. There's no joy in his eyes. His cheeks aren't rosy. I don't exactly see a belly that looks like it has even the slightest jelly jiggle. 

Seriously - what is up with that reindeer? I can't look away from Rudolph. Had he just fled the other reindeer who were calling him names while refusing to let him join in the reindeer games? The smile looks painted on, but he doesn't seem to have his heart in it. It's OK, Rudolph. I find the red nose adorable! Take it from the girl who struggled for 20 years with curly hair - there's nothing wrong with being different (and sometimes a little bit frizzy)! 

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