Our oldest son pulled a fast one on us this Christmas. We were finally finished with our shopping. I could not believe we actually finished before Christmas Eve. Probably a first for me. Anyway, we were kind of happy that we had nothing left to do but enjoy a few free days before Christmas Eve.

Oh?but we did forget something. A big something. We had not taken the boys to see Santa Claus yet. Crap. That?Ts okay, because it was Sunday, the day before Christmas Eve. We had plenty of time. Our 3 year old could have cared less about talking to Santa. But our 5 year old couldn?Tt wait to talk to him. So he sat on Santa?Ts lap, and while I?Tm wrestling with my squirmy 3 year old, I hear him tell Santa that he want?Ts a Polar Express Train. Inside my head I screeched, ?oWHAAATTTT? A Polar Express train?? That little stinker hadn?Tt said one word about a Polar Express Train before now. So here we are in the 11th hour, and he?Ts asking the big man for a toy that we know we don?Tt have for him.

We bought an awesome wooden train for our youngest because that is all he talked about for a month. But not our oldest. We were positive he wanted this shark/dinosaur electronic game that he was glued to at the store a couple of weeks ago. So with those two big ticket items and a couple of smaller items, we thought we were set. But once our son asked Santa for that Polar Express Train, he spoke of nothing else. He told his aunts and uncles and anyone who would listen that Santa Claus was going to bring him a Polar Express Train. And he was so positive that he was getting that train because last year Santa brought him a mechanical T-Rex after he asked for it. CRAAAAPPPP! Needless to say, we had some scrambling to do. We kept trying to tell our son that Santa doesn?Tt always bring exactly what you ask for. But he wasn?Tt listening.

On this last weekend before Christmas Eve, a Polar Express Train was nowhere to be found. DUH! All sold out! But we did luck out because Target has a line of inexpensive toys that included a $15 train. The train was called the Holiday Express and had a Santa figurine driving it. Close enough for us. Luckily, the little guy can?Tt read that well. He won’t know that it says Holiday Express and not Polar Express until it doesn?Tt?T matter anymore.

Thankfully our son was happy with his train. The jolly old man in the big red suit came through for him again. And again set the bar a little higher for us next year. But at least we learned a valuable lesson. Which is? take the kids to see Santa Claus the first week he arrives at the mall!