We went to the mall last night to pick up Reid’s latest round of pictures and the photo Christmas cards. (I’m writing this down in the hope that it will spur me into getting them sent out soon.)  On the way through the mall, Reid noticed the chair for Santa pictures and seemed interested in my explanation that kids got their pictures with Santa there. Maybe we won’t have a [1] repeat of the [2] Santa-trauma that has been the case thus far in Reid’s life. We didn’t talk much about Santa after that and went about our shopping.

When we got home, Reid announced that she was going to be Santa for Christmas. My response that people don’t wear costumes for Christmas was dismissed out of hand. Reid *was* going to be Santa for Christmas and  would need a bag and some “p’esents” to give to “chil’ren”. I told her we didn’t have a bag but I did have a present that I bought for Dylan for the name gift exchange. Reid is looking forward to giving the present but she wasn’t to be distracted. She restated that she will be needing a Santa costume for Christmas and added that this had to include a white beard. I told her that we’d best be calling Grandma Joyce. I can (probably) find a Santa hat in the basement but that’s as far as I can go. I’ll have to ask who else she considered dressing up as before settling on Santa. I came up with: Frosty, Mrs Claus, the elves - most notably Hermie - and, of course, Rudolph, Olive and the other reindeer. I guess Reid might have included someone from the manger scene but I imagine that she would have thought those to be in bad taste, outside of a pageant. Reid has a sense of what is appropriate, you know. Other than wearing a costume for Christmas, that is.