Five Santa encounters and still no toy chainsaw in P1's swag.
All I can say is thank God tonight is the night and, providing `the real Santa' meets his end of the deal, tomorrow I'll stop hearing about broken chainsaws.
Then I'll just have to hear a noisy new chainsaw itself.
It's funny how most little kids expect Santa to shower them in gifts, but won't even give him a smile in return.
Santa is wonderfully exciting from a distance, but up close is an entirely different story.
Neither of my boys wanted a bar of him when we took them for Santa photos at the Marketplace a couple of weeks back.
P1 cuddled Daddy's leg and answered ``Noooooooo'' whenever we asked if he'd like to go and sit on Santa's knee.
And little P2, who we weren't even sure remembered how to cry until then, let out a blood-curdling scream when we placed him on Santa's lap.
He calmed quickly when I joined his side and he quickly began a hair-removal technique on Santa, grabbing handfuls of his beard and yanking it from its very roots.
Meantime, P1 was happy to spend time with Santa's toys scattered around, but not Santa himself.
Although he did mumble in his general direction at one point the words ``Got present?'', which I hope were inaudible to Santa with all that hair and hat around his head and background noise.
I had to explain to P1, Santa doesn't always hand out presents, but when this Santa gave him a lollipop I was proven wrong.
That's one of the beautiful things about kids this age and younger.
Something as small and as simple as a lollipop is an exciting enough offering for a two-year-old to consider a present.
So although I was slightly embarrassed when P1 rudely asked Santa for a present, I know he doesn't understand manners quite to that extent yet.
We've put the idea in his head by telling him if he's a good boy Santa might bring him this or that at Christmas time and then when we go to Christmas parties we tell him if he's lucky Santa might give him a present, so you can't blame him for having expectations, really.
When you're little, who knows if it's December 25 or October 3?
Who knows if the Santa at the shopping centre is the real one?
Who knows you're not supposed to ask for presents?
Who knows it's rude to pluck out Santa's beard hair by hair?
Who knows too many festive treats will give you a belly ache?
Who knows if you pull too hard on the Christmas tree ornaments the whole tree might come down on you?
All of that just adds to the magic of Christmas with kids.
Our little sweethearts are making magical memories for us as they learn about the joy of the season.
I hope it's the same in all your homes, too.
Merry Christmas to all of you and your families, from Prue, Mr Prue and their princes.
_ Bree Almond
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