BAD Santa - Terror in Toyland

As a mom I know how going to get Santa pictures can be stressful. First off you have to find a cute outfit, then get them to wear it. You have to fight holiday traffic and crowds only to stand in line for god knows how long. You talk the little suckers up the whole time about how great it's going to be to see Santa, sit on his lap, tell him all the super cool things you want him to bring you. Finally you get to the hopefully decent looking Santa pay your bajillion dollars and cross your fingers that little Susie will at least look at the camera and if your really lucky the rugrat might flash a smile. Sounds like a great afternoon to me ;)

Now imagine your the kid, you sense your parents stress, mixed with that familiar hope that you will behave. You've been hearing all about this rockin santa guy that magically gives you all your hearts desires. Your stuck wearing this stupid tie or god forbid hat and expected to be patient in a line that's taking FOREVER. This better be good! After a million years it's your turn and you see this...

"He's huge and hairy and hulking. He dresses in strange furry clothing. He sneaks into people's homes at night.Who wouldn't be afraid of . . . Santa Claus?!? "

Your eyes are huge, your mom's repeatedly telling you to smile, you got some chick squeaking an Elmo at you while trying to tickle you with some weird dusty thing, Santa smells like cheese or even worse old spice and after 2 minutes of terror all you get is a stupid candy cane and the hope that Santa heard you when you said you wanted a red ryder BB gun (fingers crossed)!

I cry LAME and so do all these little punkin heads...

Poor Babies!

"Nothing says Christmas like innocent children shrieking with terror as a hulking red stranger drags them onto his lap."

Quotes from Harper Collins book "Scared of Santa, Scenes of Terror in Toyland"

"Now this time-honored rite of passage is celebrated with a hilarious collection of more than two hundred and fifty priceless photos of kids' traumatic trips to Santa's workshop. Scared of Santa offers a cornucopia of photographic funnies - from sixty-year-old family heirlooms to last year's howlers-along with delightful commentary on those unforgettable childhood visits to scary ol' Saint Nick."

Funny stuff... You can buy the book at Barnes and Noble or just skim through it next time your there. And either laugh hysterically or feel sorry for all the traumatized youths on the pages.

I'm sorry but something about this is hilarious to me!

Hope about you do you have any scared Santa pictures or stories?

I'm out of kleenex !

Last night I read "Comfort" by Ann Hood, it found me as so many great books do at Barnes and Noble. I am always amazed at the treasures I somehow find myself buying, it's as if I hear them calling me from the shelf "pick me... you need to read me". Not very often do I listen but when I do, man do I get lucky. This book is about the loss of Ann's 5 year old daughter Grace and her journey through the pain.





I got in bed and cracked the spine open on my new book. I had only meant to read a chapter or two before falling asleep but after the 1st page I knew it was going to be a long night. By the second page I was already crying and continued to do so for the next 182 pages! Seriously! Sometimes it was just a silent tear rolling down my check and other times I was a full on sobbing mess. I'm talking the kind of crying where you can't breathe and you struggle to see the words through your tears. Next to me while I read a feel my sleeping boy, I can feel his little body sweating next to me and I occasionally pause from the story to look at him and listen to him breathing.

I have a confession to make, I do that a lot, check to see if he's breathing. This may be a normal mom thing, I don't know because I've never talked to anyone about it, but since the day chase was born I've always had that almost painful fear of something happening to him. Because of this fear I keep him close, not the crazy super protective mom close , but the check on you in the middle of the night to make sure your breathing type of mom! Sometimes I scare myself just thinking of all the what ifs. As horrible as this may sound when I lost Sydney I had thoughts of "phew now Chase is even more safe" God would never take two of my babies right? It was almost as if I felt she was my one give and now that I gave her I would be safe from future loss. Of course I know logically that's not how it works. For added measure with every prayer, everyday, no matter what the subject, I always throw in my little" please keep Chase safe" plea.


It's amazing to me that I actually purchased and read this book given my own deep fear of losing my child. I am however so glad I did! Despite it being gut wrenching, the book was still very very good. As I finished it @ 3am only a mere 3 hours before I had to get up for work, I turned to the sleeping boy next to me, gave him some smooches, wrapped my arms around him and began my prayer...


" Lord thank you for all the many blessings you've given us. I pray for Ann and her family. I thank you for giving her comfort in the face of an unthinkable tremendous lose. I thank you for blessing her with Grace and I with Sydney, even if it was for such a short time. Thank you for this day lord... Please keep Chase safe, Please keep him safe... In your name I pray, Amen"

The Know it All

I am reading A.J. Jacobs book "One man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World". It is the funniest book, I have found myself laughing out loud many times! It's about Jacobs year long journey to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica A-Z. That's "33,000 pages, 44 million words, 10 billion years of history, 1 obsessed man." The journey is hilarious and his insights and personal spin on things is delightfully entertaining, I highly recommend it!

Next I'm going to read "The Year of Living Biblically" I hope it's as good a read as the Know-It-All.

Here are A.J's top ten tips for getting into the Encyclopedia:

1. Get Beheaded

2. Explore the Arctic

3. Write Some Poems

4. Become a Botanist

5. Get your self Involved in Commedia dell'arte

6. Win the Nobel Peace Prize

7. Get Castrated (men only)

8. Design a Font

9. Become a mistress to a monarch (ladies only)

10. Become a Liturgical Vestment (garments worn by officials, clergy etc..)