i hope santa gets paid well...and wears earplugs

my niece verbena sitting on santa's lap.

this picture makes me laugh. no, i don't think it's funny that my niece appears to be in distress. i laugh because i have spent time with her and know that she is very good about letting you know what she thinks. in this instance, she probably let everyone hear it as well. what is almost equally as funny is that santa looks like he just came to life after being on display in a happy wax museum. he seems like the kind of person i imagine santa to be...understanding of a child's uneasiness about being put on the lap of someone they only see once a year. (heck, i've had a few relatives i responded like this too!!)
so kudos to him and god bless my nieces and nephews. i love being an aunt and it's pictures like this that allow me to laugh...all because of how much i love someone...someone so young and yet so soulful. (kind of like a santa in reverse)