The kids who hate Santa … and the mom who insists on a photo every year

Posted on December 10, 2014 by heatherlauraclarke

When this week’s The Mom Scene column was published, I was kind of expecting reader backlash like “What?! You force your kids to sit on Santa’s knee when they are CLEARLY UNCOMFORTABLE?! You negligent monster!”

But I have yet to receive one comment or email like that, so maybe … we all force our kids on the big guy’s lap? …

D, 17 months

This is when the really torturous Santa photos begin. The kid has reached prime freak-out age, but they’re still small enough to be held down for a photo. Walk up quickly, deposit them on Santa’s lap, step back, and tell the photographer to shoot through the hysterics. When our son was 17 months old, he was screaming and writhing so hard that his shirt came up — it’s one of our favourites.

C, 20 months

One-and-a-half year-olds are just as angry as their younger counterparts, but they’re stronger and more flail-y. We have a great shot of Santa holding our screeching 20-month-old daughter like she’s a bomb, and a second shot of her trying to kick him in the jingle bells.

Read the full column here!

Category: Funny, Holidays, The Mom Scene, Toddlers

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I’m Heather Laura Clarke. I’m writer living in beautiful Nova Scotia, I have a 11-year-old son and a nine-year-old daughter, I married my high school sweetheart, and this is the story of my handmade life.

I have depression and anxiety, and I fight like hell every day to keep it from taking over my life. Making things isn’t just a hobby — it’s part of what keeps me alive.

Whether I’m writing novels, decorating a room, busting out my power tools to build furniture, getting muddy in the pottery studio, sewing clothes for my kids, or cross-stitching a swear word, I’m all about using my creativity to craft a life I love.

I’ve been writing this blog since 2009, so if you dig deep into the archives, you’ll meet a bright-eyed 25-year-old newlywed who was basically obsessed with having kids, buying a cozy house, and supporting herself full-time as a writer. (Spoiler alert: she got exactly what she wanted.)