Rough Day

Today was a rather grueling day for Miss Joy.

First she fell in the pool. Don't be alarmed--she just stumbled down onto the first step in the shallow end, but it startled her and let's face it--no one likes being wet and cold in December, even in California.

And of course, this happened AFTER I packed up all her clothes and sent them home with Daddy this morning. At least we still had her penguin PJs to change into.

Then there was this guy.

At our ward Christmas party, Joy only went along to meet the dude in the red suit because I said that I wanted to see him. She had no interest in sitting on some stranger's lap until she learned that she could get a toy for doing so, and even then she obviously wasn't too keen on the idea. I suppose I can't blame her.

The funny thing is that I feel no great motivation to perpetuate the myth of Santa Claus to my daughter, yet for some reason I feel that Christmas isn't Christmas unless I've arranged the traditional picture of my child sitting on some stranger's lap ("Now remember: Don't talk to strangers unless they have red suits and big white beards").

I never said I was a rational creature--few humans are. Just ask a Vulcan.