Sitting with Santa

These are the first decent Santa photos we've ever had of Bennett, thanks to the ward party, bishopric member Brother Evans' aged albeit hilarious Santa suit and Meghan's willingness to take photos of ALL the kids in our ward. Pretty much all the under-twos freaked out and screamed the second they landed on his lap, which made for some really funny photos, but also reminded me why we haven't even attempted a Santa shot since Benito was that age.

I'll never forget the first time we tried. Bennett was one, we were up in Seattle for Christmas, and well-meaning brother-in-law Mike donned his spiffy Santa suit to all his kids' delight. Cousins Christian, Ashlyn and Tyler took the most darling photos sitting on their dad/Santa's knee. Then came B's turn. You'd think we'd sat him on a pile of hot coals. The kid screamed bloody murder.

Anyway, it was really cute listening to Bennett's conversation with Santa. This has been such a fun year for Christmas because he really gets it, all of it, and absolutely loves it. I catch him singing Christmas songs all the time, and I'm always surprised that he remembers the lyrics; he devours all our Christmas books, especially The Night Before Christmas; he and Eli are a constant chorus of "Christmas lights!!" in the backseat of the car any time we see a house with lights; and he loves carefully rearranging decorations on the tree to make it look "pretty." It's made the season that much more enjoyable.