For me, the holiday season gets a little… bipolar. For every good thing (twinkling lights everywhere I look, the joy in finding the PERFECT present, the multitude of excuses to wear sequins), something stressful looms right behind (travelling to visit family, completing my gift list and trying to zip up my jeans after all those booze-and-cookie-filled parties). So how do you survive the cheeriest time of year without getting all bah humbug? For me, it’s all about embracing tradition- especially the ones you think you’re too mature for. One of the very best holiday traditions is one you may not have participated in since you were a kid- Santa pictures! Whether you have a child of your own or are just a child at heart, nothing will counteract Scroogey tendencies like heading to your local mall and taking a picture with Santa Claus himself. The nice folks at SantaPhotos.com are giving away a Santa Photo Package and a $50 gift certificate to Pacific Place Shopping Center to one of our lucky readers- just keep reading to find out how you can win!
Taking pictures with Santa captures everything cheesy and wonderful about the holidays- so why fight it? Whether you’re 3 or 30, you’ll still catch yourself smiling when you recite your wish list. And the best part is that because Arthur & Associates, the folks behind SantaPhotos.com are a total class act (I mean, they’ve been in the Santa business since 1943), the whole process is about 100 times better than it was when I was a kid. No more waiting in line for hours to sit on the lap of some strange transient who smells of cheap bourbon- with SantaPhotos.com, you can even time your visit to sit with the highly-trained professional Santa of your choosing (I especially admire the fullness of Santa Larry S.‘s beard over at Bellevue Square and Crossroads) and order digital images you can print yourself.
Photo packages range from $21 to $65 and photos can be taken at 11 locations in Seattle and surrounding cities. Yeah yeah yeah, this does mean shelling out a little bit of cash, but honestly, your mom would rather get a picture of you and your adult brother chillin’ with Santa than she would another freaking robe. And if you’re a parent yourself, you owe it to your child to amass a series of adorable (or hilariously awkward) Santa pictures- how else are you going to embarrass them when they bring over their prom dates? So suck it up and make a date to have your picture taken with Santa now, before the holidays are over.
But this wouldn’t be a Yay-Today post if there wasn’t a freebie hidden somewhere, so here it is (and it’s a doozy!): We’re giving away a FREE Santa Picture package from www.SantaPhotos.com and a $50 gift certificate to Pacific Place Shopping Center. There are 2 fabulous and easy ways to enter:
So what are you waiting for? Enter now! This contest will run until midnight on Thursday, December 15th, and we’ll announce the winner on Friday, December 16th. And of course, keep talking about this contest on twitter and facebook so that we keep getting these fantastic giveaways to share with y’all!
I want Santa to bring me more hours in the day!
Too much to ask for a Nikon D7000? I’ll always be happy with more yarn.
I could really use a new computer. Mine is about to bite the dust. Got it, Santa?
All I really want for Christmas is a college education, preferably debt-free!
Sleep! Santa I want sleep!
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/ScoutsHonor/status/146840567941308416
Hope I’ve been good this year. I want Santa to give me a vacation…Hawaii, Florida, Tahiti, anywhere as long as it is sunny and warm!
All I want for Christmas from @MySanta is everyone to put their phones down and spend time with each other. #SeaSanta
Tweeted… https://twitter.com/#!/jdnorthwest/status/147165641240084480
All I want for Christmas from @MySanta is a laptop! I want to be doing this in the same room as my kids!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/amberesaxby/status/147372959550537728
I would love more vacations!