Christmas | Meeting Santa

Each year, I take the kids along to meet Santa and to have the obligatory photo taken. There's so many Santas around, its hard to decide which one to visit! Last year we went to Domayne (see below), and although it was really nice, Tina and Trish convinced me to see Santa at the QVB Sydney...ok, so maybe it was the prospect of seeing two very adorable fluffy white huskies!  We live a couple of hours away from Sydney, so we set off early...driving halfway, then jumping the train. The kids had a great time on the train...watching the scenery fly by, going over the water, and reading all the signs along the way. Once we reached Town Hall, we headed straight to the top floor of the QVB in search of Santa.

The QVB Christmas tree is quite possibly the most beautiful tree I have ever seen in real life! It has 144,000 lights and 60,000 Swarovski crystals and spans 3 floors! Absolutely stunning! My camera was ready to snap at every opportunity, and the kids were sick of smiling already...and they hadn't even seen Santa yet.

This photo was taken looking up to the tip of the Christmas tree in the dome of the QVB. It doesn't even begin to show you the height of this magnificent tree.

We rounded the tree and saw Santa sitting there in a crystal cave. By this time, the kids were super excited, so we lined up...only to be told there'd be a 40 minute wait. They handed me a buzzer and encouraged us to explore the QVB; they would buzz us when it was time. Brilliant! Nothing worse than bored children. We browsed the toy stores, found the bathrooms, watched the clock display, and then it was our turn.  The first person to greet us was a fairy. Eme was delighted! They compared sparkly ballet shoes...so cute.

Next, it was a toy soldier...who was mighty impressed with Seth's t-shirt. She agreed wholeheartedly...Santa does indeed rock!

Now for the fun bit...meeting Santa! His cave was spectacular, and what's more, you could take as many photos as you like...even while the professional photographer was doing their thing.

I wonder if they'd notice if one of those strands of crystals made their way to my house...hmmm....

The big man himself...with a real beard!! Santa was so happy and friendly. He loved Seth's t-shirt and to prove Santa rocks, he started singing "Jingle Bell Rock". lol. The kids climbed up...Eme cautiously sat on the side, and proceeded to tell Santa what they want for Christmas...Skylanders for Seth, and a fashion Barbie for Eme. I'm very impressed that they didn't rattle off the contents of the latest Toys R Us catalogue!

Santa was just lovely and his helpers didn't rush us off at all. Our photos were ready in a couple of minutes and we were on our way. We finished of the day by having a special lunch, and a bit of shopping at Myer...toys and Christmas ornaments. It was such a fabulous day, and the scrapbooker in me is incredibly happy I get to use my own photos, as well as the professional shot.

Just for comparison...this is last year's photo. The kids don't look nearly as baby faced any more, and Seth's t-shirt looks like it fits better this year. Mental note: buy a new t-shirt for next year's photo. lol.

Have you been to see Santa yet? How do your kids cope with seeing the big guy?