Taking photos with Santa Claus is a time old tradition.

I have fond memories as a piggy-tailed little girl sitting on Santa’s lap asking for a My Little Pony unicorn.

Santa photos crack me. You either get  one of two extremes: super excited or unsmiling kids awkwardly posed on Santa’s lap.

If you have a Santa photo that’s of an extremely happy child, funny, awkward or just plain bad, momaha wants to hear from you. Share your Santa picture-taking memories with us.

Submit your photo, contact information and a two- to three-sentence explanation of the image to jloza@owh.com

Don’t be shy. Trust me. I’ve been there.

As a matter of fact, the above image was taken at momaha’s play date with Santa Claus last weekend at Shadow Lake Towne Center.

I tried to plan ahead to avoid any meltdowns.

I didn’t visit Santa during naptime. I fed my daughters before heading to his workshop. I picked a time when there wasn’t going to be a long line. Two weeks earlier we met with Santa briefly so the girls would be comfortable taking their photos.

Minutes before the photo shoot, I chased my nervous 4-year-old Alejandra down to meet jolly ol’ Saint Nick. My 22-month-old Gabriella walked up to Santa pointed at his beard and seemed cool about the whole picture-taking thing. That is until she was asked to sit on Santa’s lap.

Santa’s beard tickled her neck. She didn’t like it.

He was in her personal bubble, and she wasn’t having it.

Santa leaned down to whisper his favorite type of cookie and Gabriella flashed him an “oh-no-you-didn’t” look.

And then… the meltdown began.

The photographer asked me if I wanted to sit next to her to calm her down.

I shook my head.

“Take the picture,” I said. “This is classic. She’ll enjoy the photo when she gets older.”

She eventually calmed down and a few nice photos were taken. Thank you, Santa.

But the awkward Santa photo is something I’ll always cherish.

Please make me feel normal. Give me a sneak peek. Share your stories below. 

* * *