Nothing conjures up more memories of holiday magic and imagination for me than the image of Santa Claus.  The Night Before Christmas has always been one of my favorite holiday stories with the vivid descriptions of Santa spreading joy and good cheer.

The pleasant memories I have of Santa, like him leaving me a little note next to the half eaten cookies I left for him, :)  are what prompted me to order tickets for my family to visit Lunch with Santa at Silver Dollar City.  I thought it would be a fun way for my 3 year old to get a chance to see the jolly old elf without the hassle of standing in a long line at the mall.  I have to say, it was a very interesting experience and, like a lot of things involving a 3-year-old, not at all what I expected.

I knew Hannah was more than a little skeptical about Mr. Claus last year, so this year I spent some extra time talking to her about what to expect.  It went something like this...

I would say, "Does Santa wear a red suit?"

"No."

"Does Santa wear shiny black shoes?"

"No."

"What are you going to tell Santa you want for Christmas?"

"A pink Barbie."

Eventually she started telling me that Santa wears a red hat and suit, shiny black shoes and he has a long white beard.  I thought that was a pretty good sign of progress.

The day of the event started out really well.  It was a beautiful day and Hannah was thrilled to see the big Christmas tree and snowmen all around the square.

The lunch prepared by Mrs. Claus was delicious!  There was a huge spread of holiday fare like fried chicken and mashed potatoes, fresh salad and green beans.  There were plenty of kid-friendly foods as well like macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and mud pie pudding with gummy worms!  Hannah particularly enjoyed the mini corn dogs and Christmas cookies (Mommy liked those too)!

Once we had stuffed ourselves with lunch, Santa's helpers started the kids singing traditional Christmas carols.  My daughter really enjoyed singing along to Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman.

Then it was time for the big man's debut.  He made his appearance to applause by all and had a couple of cute rag dolls with him.  One of them came by our table to say hi and that's when things started to go downhill fast.  Turns out, Hannah's not quite ready to get cozy with Santa Claus.

Oh well. At least she settled down enough for us to stay for the rest of Santa's visit.  The jolly old elf sang some more songs with the kids and told a neat story about the symbols of Christmas, finishing off with the most important of all - the baby in the manger. 

We missed out on the photo opportunity this time, but there's always next year!  Maybe if Santa comes through with that pink Barbie?