a 2 hour wait
2 hours. That’s how long I waited in line for Maya to see Santa.
“Ameena is an idiot,” you must be thinking. And yes I am. I wasted 2 hours of my life in line so Maya could spend (literally) 2 minutes with Santa Claus before we were shuffled over to the cash register to pay $20 for a flash drive containing this staged family photo:
I just noticed The Grove's logo on this photo and now I'm bothered even further...
So why did I do it? Well because Maya’s been asking me if she could visit Santa at The Grove for 2 years. And for 2 years I kept saying, “One day Maya, when the line isn’t so long. I promise.”
Well the line never got shorter.
Anyway, given my usual reckless abandon for my child and her many, many requests, I was feeling kind of smug that I waited 2 hours for something that didn’t benefit me in the least.
But I just realized that after I publish this post I am setting off on a mission to hide a few of the 50 or so Christmas gifts Maya received so I can rotate them in and out throughout the year. And yes, maybe I’ll re-gift her one or two in March.
And poof! There goes my newfound smugness.
While I'm not going to win Mother/Wife of the Year Award anytime soon, I haven't killed anyone yet or shot myself in the head. And that, my friends, is how I calculate success these days. 
FANCY THAT FANCY THIS 
LOL, well at least you look cute daahling 😀
*kisses* HH
Oh NOooo you did not waste 2 hours of your time…, apart from the ‘not so jolly anymore & slightly smelly Santa we got coz everyone has sat on his knees that Santa had going on (maybe that’s just in Oz…, it is afterall summer downunder)… but a few years ago some gal pals & I lined up for just the same “memory”…., coz we thought it’d be cool… go figure !!!!! and despite our advanced age….. we all have a great photo of a time we’ll never visit again (Anna being wistful here.., a moments silence please)… now all we think about when we look back is how much fun we had in the line up & how Santa kinda smelt…. weird huh. Oh well…., its such a fabulous memory for us…, & a story we got to tell. Maya will no doubt be the same ….. you all looked so happy (except Santa.., he’s a bit over it I think)!!!!!!
Aww, that’s a beautiful family Santa photo, Ameena! Call me crazy, but I think 2 hours is still worth the wait. Plus, this way you have proof that you were nice to her on Christmas 😉
Ameena,
That’a lovely family photo and I think two hours is worth waiting for bringing that satisfaction on your little angel face!
May gift of joy fill your home! Merry Christmas and A very Happy New year!
2 hours, but a beautiful picture!!! Maya looks so happy 🙂
Jen
Good for you for not just waiting for the year when Maya no longer believes in Santa and thus no longer wants to visit him. That’s enough reason to stay a bit smug! Merry Christmas Ameena!
I am impressed you waited that long. Even if I wasn’t Jewish, I don’t know if I could have done that. You are brave! I think it was worth it for the great photo.
Haha – have you read David Sedaris’ “SantaLand Diaries” ? If you haven’t – you must, he has a sick, twisted sense of humor – but is SPOT ON. You would love it 🙂 In there, kids waited 6 or 7 hours for Santa…so your doing pretty good 😉
Merry Holidays! 🙂
That family photo is so cute! Okay, so maybe it was annoying to wait, but look how happy Maya looks.
The three of you look wonderful and yes, Maya’s smile is worth the wait in my eyes. But, I gotta say “jolly” ‘ole Saint Nick there looks like he has to poop badly and can’t go. He can’t even smile???
The things we mothers do.
It is imperative, you know. You wouldn’t have slept if you didn’t take that picture.
I’ve done it before.
And I’ll do it again.
To crazy mothers everywhere.
And to our husbands who stand in line with us.
Happy, Happy, Holidaze.
oh can I adopt you as my mom 😛 haha you are awesome 😀
If it’s any consolation, you look really cute and I love your boots!
You’re such a good momma – let the regifting begin!
Aww, she looks so happy! I wish $20 could buy me that kind of smile. Agreed, you’re a great mom !
PS: Love the boots!
as a child who most definitely made her parents do this i think that was 2 hours well spent 😉 although too bad you had a child like me and not my youngest sister who stood in a long line for two seconds and then told my mom “okay i’ve seen him we can go” hahah!
What a cute family photo!!! Very impressed that you waited in line for 2 hours!!!!!! I’m more surprised that Maya could wait that long! When I was a kid, I had veryyyy little patience!
Though you had to wait 2 hours for it, I have to say it’s a pretty great picture of the family with Santa. They should pay you 20.00 for advertising it on the web. LOL.
well, at least you have a gorgeous family! why on earth did they have to put their logo on the bottom, clearly you’d never forget where you waited in line for two hours (TWO HOURS?!) for the shot. If I was five I don’t think I would have made it that long! way to go maya!
You guys look fantastic in this picture so I’d say it’s worth it! Andy and I got pictures with Santa one year (No idea what we were thinking….) and my eyes look closed in the picture. Such a waste of time!
Such a great photo! I would say “Ameena is an idiot,” but the look on Maya’s face keeps me from going that far. Instead, I will say “You’re brave!” and call it a day.
I hope you had a very happy holiday!
the picture looks awesome. maya’s expression makes it worth the wait.
love the boots.
re gifting- i think maya’s will remember or least hope so, so that i can enjoy a post on your reaction to being caught.
I wouldn’t wait for two hours to let my kid see Santa. No way. You’re a good momma! 🙂
That photo is seriously cute. (And talk about a Santa lookalike!) There’s only one way to make sure Maya doesn’t ever ask to sit on an old man’s lap again: Reveal the truth about Santa. Of course, you may crush her little heart… 🙂
That santa looks so stern and serious! Although I’d be pissed too if my job involved have hundred of children sit on my lap. And the fact that I’m unemployed until next december.
Be smug all you want, you are not alone (beautiful picture btw)
I have been on a quest to get a Santa Picture with everyone in our family (thus far my husband is the only one that didn’t emerge from childhood with one…sad but another topic)
and I want to get a few of JJ before he goes to college but REFUSE to do the Mall thing.
Our local “Old Town” we found, has a boy scouts hosted one and it’s low lines, cheap (donations only) and it’s for the scouts, plus Santa (same guy both years) was a sweetheart and we’ll keep going there I think now.
I should have hid a few of JJ’s gifts but I was not so smart.
hehe
AND his birthday is coming up soon. OYE.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
ha that is the fanciest santa picture i have ever seen! gotta love LA…
of course, i must admit, it’s also the only “real” santa picture ive ever seen, because every other “kid waiting in line at the mall to see santa clause ” thing ive ever seen is from the movies. go figure. jew. new york. you get the picture.
you managed to smile so genuinely, Ameena! that’s a feat in itself.
oh mayaaaa. too cute. glad she got her time with santa!
Such a cute family picture and you look gorgeous Ameena! Very stylish! Love your outfit!
What a lovely family picture! Maya’s smile priceless and you are one hot Mama! Seriously Ameena you should write a post on your fitness secrets 🙂
Lovely boots!
Thank you Priyanka! My fitness secret is this – develop an intolerance for anything that tastes good and suddenly eating really isn’t that enjoyable. 🙂
Lovely family picture, don’t worry about the 2 hour wait, it is worth it at the end.
I think that’s a cute picture, and I love your boots. 🙂
It is a darn nice picture!!!!
I would cringe at spending $20 bucks on a photo when I could have gotten it with my digital camera for free but hey…..it made Maya happy and I know that’s what you live for. You girls look so cute! …..and so does Ali!!!
The question is: What r u going to do next year? she had those 2 minutes this time, I don’t really think she is going back to ” No santa” time again. LOL
P.S. Love the boots . I would almost never think of pairing it up the way u did and that just goes on to show my lack of “style sense” Duh!
Such a cute pic though, lol. Love yours and Maya’s boots!
That’s a great family photo! And rotating out presents is such a great idea. They don’t need all the stuff they get anyways.
We got sooo lucky and there was no line at all when we took the kids! Our picture was only $17 for a 5×7. And when I say “only”, what I really mean is that is absolutely ridiculous and I can’t believe we paid that much for it.
Your photo turned out fantastic- beautiful family!
The photo’s beautiful and I am sure Maya was appropriately grateful 🙂
I love the picture!
On a far more selfish note, I wasted 75 minutes of my life in Banana Republic on Boxing Day.
That is such a sweet and beautiful photo of your family!!
Aww, it’s still a cute picture!
Santa lines always remind me of that movie, “A Christmas Story,” where the kids wait in line, all excited…only to be told they accidentally cut to the front of the line and that the real line starts like a mile down the shopping mall.
Oh, and I’m STOKED to try Mark and Spencer’s!
I do have to say the wait yielded a great family picture – minus Santa, unless you want to explain the relation. 🙂
Hmmm, that is a long time! However, I think the pic is amazing, so it was well worth it. At least worth it for us friends to see your smiling faces with a bearded man and we didn’t need to wait the 2 hours 🙂
I love your boots girl!!! Keep the fashion pics a comin’
xxoo
You guys look lovely, but that is one huge wait time.
Awwww, I love this picture!
Gosh, Ameena! You’re too sweet. What you do with Maya’s presents is for her own good. Maybe this way she’ll never be too spoiled. Hehe.
By the way, thank you SO much for the comment on my blog. It did cheer me up quite a bit – I even decided to talk to my Mom about the height thing. I think she understood, but she didn’t take me seriously. Oh, well. Moms will be moms.
I was never tall, so I don’t really know how it feels like to be as tall as your husband. But I guess feeling uncomfortable with high heels because of your height isn’t exactly nice. I should be a proud short-y. We should be grateful for your bodies – I mean, we do have two arms, two legs, 10 fingers on each hand, a normal-sized hand and neck… Right?
🙂
Thanks for being the way you are.
Hope you, Maya and Ali are having a great day!
xoxo
Yes, but that is one CUTE picture. Maybe not two hours cute, but cute nonetheless.
LOL. you should have come to the Santa at the Americana. No line. 🙂
lovely pic, too!!
Here is where I got lucky. As a 2 year old, Elijah and I were at the mall, off to the side of Santa, so I could show Elijah who he was. Well, it was time for Santa’s break, and he came RIGHT at us, jumped over the velvet rope straight at Elijah . Scarred him for life, and I never have to wait in line.
muahahaha! I’m in love with your re-gifting scheme with Maya – I swear i’m using this someday! =)
I know it was probably a grueling 2 hours and yes that logo is a pain BUT…. The photo came out wonderful! You all look fantastic ❤ and i'm sure Maya was estatic =)
Hope you had a great holiday!
xoXOxo
Jenn
2 hours?! That’s dedication 😉 CUTE photo, tho!
you’re a good mama. i have never gotten to sit on santa’s lap and now i’m mad at my own mom.
Definitely re-gift a few Christmas presents in March. Gold star for innovation.
For what it’s worth, your smile (and Ali’s!) looks significantly less forced than when you went to the Dora the Explorer Extravaganza. That right there is mantle-quality.
Beautiful Picture but I will need to shut down my computer right now and erase it from its memory since I do not want my Maya to get any crazy ideas from your Maya. I am certainly not standing in line for 2 hours unless Santa is played by Johnny Deep and I am sitting on his lap.
Haha, at least the picture is cute. Love your boots!
I remember waiting in line for Santa when I was little – and now I wonder how I did it. At least you’ve got an adorable picture of Maya (don’t think about the cost, Ameena, don’t think about it!). Also, you are one smokin’ Mama!
I loved your re-gifting post, by the way – I see no problem with that 😉 Happy Holidays, Ameena!
That is such a nice picture of you all!!
I remember waiting in line for Santa at my mall. It wasn’t two hours but it always felt like such a long time. All to sit on some guy in a santa suit’s lap. There is so much about those Santas that kind of weird me out now that I am older. haha
I love that the whole fam got in the picture!
ahhh, good old grove santa! i worked there doing marketing + events for years. tip: join their loyalty rewards program! it’s free + you register your receipts for points. you get access to private events + vip seating (even if you don’t spend any $) + can make appts to see santa + cut the line!
Love the photo 😉 And I wish I shopped at the Grove, South Coast was a nightmare and Fashion Island was not much better…
I wish a most fantastic New Year to you Ameena!
You are a good mother. She probably won’t remember this after a few weeks…but still…you should be proud. In all seriousness though, your family looks beautiful, as always. I hope you are having a lovely week. Thank you for always sharing such great stories with me. You make me smile, again and again!
“wasting time?” if you waited THAT long…it was priceless to you. Sometimes when I say “why am I out here freezing my butt off” it’s becuase IT MATTERS THAT MUCH to me. Your endurance demonstrates your values…preserving that moment, that memory, into the fabric of your family lore.
Now, maybe next year…get some one to rent a santa costume, and gather up 10 friends to pay $10 each and have Santa take the kids out for a hike….you could start a new side business!
Well, I think since you waited two years before granting her wish, it’s okay to have waited two hours. It’s a really cute photo too.
You love her for waiting that long; it pays off in memories in the end. Love your regifting idea for later on!
Thanks for a great post
Katherine
regifting happens 🙂
happy 2011 Ameena!
i wish my parents had joined me in my santa photos!! i hope it was worth the wait. i think it was! ❤ xoxo
( k, 2 hours is quite long tho haha)
I mean, at least the photo is incredibly stylish!! Most Santa photos look adorably haphazard at best. This one is genuinely mantle ready!
However, it’s lovely you gave those 2 hours away to make your daughter feel happy. 🙂
So glad I’m not the only one who hides the Christmas presents so that they can magically re-appear as a birthday gift. Austin’s main Christmas gift was actually a kitchen that he got for his birthday in August and we didn’t get around to putting it together till last week…A Christmas miracle indeed!
Couldn’t help noticing all the ‘2s’ in the post – 2 years, 2 hours, 2 minutes…hehe 😛
Anyway, C’mon Ameena, you know it was worth it…This is just the loveliest picture of your family!! Maya looks super cute here (I love her hair!) and it’s a little staged, but Hey, at least you got everyone in one picture together without looking at some techno-thingy with too many wires and cables, right?! Psst…you can always photoshop that logo away…
Have a blessed New Year, and see you in 2011…
Well it’s a totally cute family photo if that makes you feel any better:) Plus, that is a really good looking Santa. Somehow that doesn’t sound right but I think you know what a I mean:)
Beautiful family Ameena! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and have a great time ringing in the New Year!
What a gorgeous family photo!! I love it 🙂 I think it was well worth the wait.