Can You Just Imagine The Allergens That Are On Santa's Lap?

Dante and I

Ugh…Christmas parties. Why?

Well, last weekend we attended my parent’s Italian Catholic Federation (ICF) Annual Christmas Party. The night before, at rehearsal, I fell while holding Andante, and in an effort to save him from hitting the floor with me, I ended up rolling my ankle. Boy, that was fun…NOT! I spent most of the rehearsal sitting down with my foot in an ice conclave alla Dr. Mikey. I admit… I snagged one of his Vicodins…ok, one and a half, and until that kicked in, I was in excruciating pain. Finally, the Vics kicked in, my ankle went numb… and I think my hearing did too, because there was not a single note out of place from my soloists or my guitarists. I’ll chalk it up to great musical guidance on my part! *coughs*
I digress… anyhow…

Rory must have asked for something REALLY outlandish...look at the face of satisfaction!

We went to this shindig, reluctantly…or at least I did. Maybe it was because of the pain of my ankle, or because I would have to fend off all of the old, cheek-pinching Italian Nonnies, or maybe because I just really didn’t want to be there.

You KNOW Ari is asking for that darn pony!!!  C'mon Avô, anty up!  You've got the farm!

Regardless, I went. Allegra and Aria really enjoyed Santa. I don't know what Rory told Santa, but Ari asked for a pony... yeah, right!!!  LOL!  I got to spend time with my nephews Lance and Dominic, which is a rarity nowadays. I had to grab a few wayward hands from touching Dante… which, of course, ticked off some of the old women I mentioned in the last paragraph. My mother was busy doing damage control; my dad was busy working at keeping my nephews in line. I played with my Godson Lance’s Nintendo DS… oh, I SO want one. Those things are bomb!!! Dinner was not too bad… a little lack luster for my palate, but good none the less. The cannolis for dessert were off the hook. I even brought some back for Mikey to have (and yes, he thoroughly enjoyed them!).

Poor Lance; recovering from a broken collar bone...

but that didn't stop him from asking Santa for some loot!

The only disappointment of the night was when I took Dante up to see Santa. Color me paranoid, but I did not know what was on his rented Santa suit or his gloves, nor did I know what was on the 50 + kids clothes and hands that sat in Santa’s lap before my son. So instead, I held him close and allowed him to reach out and get his gift from Santa. As I squatted down next to Santa, I explained that I could not let Andante sit with him because of his food allergies. Thankfully, Santa didn’t let my paranoia faze him. In fact, he spent more time talking to Dante than he did the other children. It broke my heart to keep him from sitting on Santa’s lap. It hurt me even more not to let him out of his stroller to play with the other kids and their new toys. Who knows what was on their hands and faces after eating a plethora of allergens on an Italian dinner plate.

Hopefully, he will not resent me when he is older. Hopefully he will know that I am only trying to keep him safe. Hopefully, he will outgrow his FAs….

One can only hope.

Dominic never did make it to Santa's lap.  Hit 'n' Run is Dom's M.O.!

All in all, it was a wonderful night for the children, which was the reason for going in the first place. As we drove the hour and 20 minutes back home, the children nestled under the stadium blanket I keep in the SUV for them, resting in sweet slumber. In that peaceful moment, I knew all was well.


Seriously!

TinaMarie