A new twist on an old tradition.................................

Twenty-eight years ago I took my oldest daughter (then almost six months old) to sit on Santa's lap for the very first time. That photo of her red faced and screaming, arms outstretched, squirming on a big bearded strangers lap, trying to get away, is burned into my memory forever. Every year since then pictures with Santa have been an annual tradition.

I know some of you stopped doing this when your children reached the age of ten or so, but we didn't want to give up the fun. Like the time we were standing in line when my youngest was sixteen or seventeen and she saw some girls from her school walking around in their cheerleader uniforms. She was so embarressed for them, thinking people would be making fun of them walking around "dressed like that." I pointed out that she was, after all, standing in line to get her picture taken with Santa. Her response, "So, what is wrong with that?" reinforces my belief that the apple doesn't fall far from the mother tree.

After my oldest moved out of state, it became a little more tricky to get the annual picture, having to cram it into the weekend after Thanksgiving, but the kids always managed, and I always got my picture under the tree on Christmas morning. This year, we were sanwiching the picture in between running errands and making enchaladias for my oldest (one of her favorite meals) before she had to return home to get ready to fly out of town on a business trip. When we got to Santa's chair in the mall, all that we saw was an elf, and a sign that said Santa would return in half an hour.

Being on a time crunch, we decided to improvise so I sat in Santa's chair with the sign in front of my face and the kids gathered around me. As we were walking away, each storing the memory into brain's file system, my oldest came up with a great idea. She suggested that in future years we continue to see how we can twist the traditional Santa picture in a new way. We all agreed this would be lots more fun than doing things the old way, so that is what we are going to do in future years. Who says traditions can't be updated and changed for the better? It isn't about the tradition, but about the feelings of closeness and togetherness the traditions bring out in those participating. What are some of your favorite Holiday traditions/memories?