Santa is a bad, bad man to some

It seems that Santa is going to be a feared ogre-like man that comes during the holidays in our family.

We took our two boys to sit on Santa’s lap and get pictures. Not for them, but for us. We have a need to have humility in a picture for future blackmail – although we say it will be to have a keepsake for years to come.

My boys both have a sick sense of humor, which I attribute to their dad. They have a knack for laughing and pointing at other children that they see crying, especially if that child has done something wrong and is being punished for it.

They say what goes around has come around. And for my oldest son, his sense of humor came around recently to nip him in the butt. 

We took both of our boys to get their picture with Santa. They are not quite to the point of asking what they want from him or understanding that he is the deliverer of all things cool. They just know he is a man that is overweight and hasn’t shaved in a long time. 

Nevertheless, we braved the long lines at the mall to put our sons through this torture that we try to tell them they will thank us for later, or so we hope, when they see what is under the tree Christmas morning.

My youngest son has an eternal smile on his face and is so laid back with a willingness to go to anyone that I knew he and Santa would hit it off on their first meeting.

My older son is not that easily convinced. He likes order and normalcy almost to an obsession. 

Knowing this, I knew we had to sit my youngest son on Santa’s lap first.  He gladly sat and took in the experience for as long as we requested. Then we sat the 2-year-old down -- and the screaming began. 

Three adults -- my father, an elf and I -- tried our hardest to make complete fools of ourselves in the middle of the mall to get these two little boys to laugh, but to no avail.

So this is the cherished Santa picture of 2007: A crying 2-year-old, with a 7-month-old pointing and laughing at his brother’s dismay. I can only assume this is but a glimpse of what to expect for years to come.

Former radio personality Carey DeBeaux, who  grew up in Rio Rancho, is now raising two sons with her husband Tim. Her column on family life will appear on a regular basis.Click here to contact her.