Growing up my brother and I frequently had our photos taken with Santa, but I don’t remember any photos with the Easter Bunny.
This has led to some interesting holidays with my girls. I have one photo of Rapunzel sitting on Santa’s lap at Walmart when she was 7 months old. She was not very happy. This was the first and last photo we have ever done.
Christmas 2007:
Santa stopped by my Gram’s house to remind the girls to be good and go to bed early. Having an in with Santa is a great thing. While Rapunzel played along, SuperChic was blown out of the water when he showed up. As soon as he left she looked at me and said with a straight face, “that was Grandpa.” I kept assuring her it wasn’t Grandpa and she kept insisting it was. When she saw my Dad drive up to the house and walk in with a bag from the grocery store she was flabbergasted. Her Grandpa couldn’t have possibly been Santa if he’d been at the store. Which meant she had met the real Santa.
Christmas 2008:
SuperChic asked to see Santa at the local mall while we were there. Why not, we’re already here. I’ll tell you why not, 4-6 hour wait, that’s why not. We didn’t wait, she cried. A week or so later we were there at an odd time, there was no line. She walked right up and sat on his lap. I don’t have photos because I wasn’t going to buy them and they wouldn’t let me take my own.
Easter 2009:
As we entered the Walmart Saturday morning, the day before Easter, we had no idea there would be a giant bunny sitting in front of the men’s department.
SuperChic walked past the giant bunny, tossed her hair and declared, “I am NOT taking a picture with that bunny.” I hadn’t even suggested it, because it’s not something we do for no reason other than the fact that I’m not paying for photos.
I said that was fine, I didn’t care, it was up to her. And it honestly was. I hadn’t planned on taking photos with a giant bunny, but when it’s free and there’s no line you kinda rethink things.
Twenty minutes later, shirts for my Dad in hand, we head back past the bunny. I look down at SuperChic and say jokingly, “are you sure you don’t want to take a picture with the Easter Bunny?”
Amazingly she said yes, and even smiled.
When I asked the girl if I could use my camera she said, “the picture is free, you just have to come back later to pick it up.”
I told her I didn’t live there, which is true, so I didn’t know if I would be back or not.
That was only part of the truth though. A bad photo with a good camera is so much better than a bad photo with a bad camera. And I have enough of those.
It seems like Walmart is where I can make the memories happen.


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