Really, Santa?

Last weekend while Heather was feeling a bit under the weather, I took the girls to Clemyjontri Park to see Santa, rain or shine, as the flyer said. It was gray and drizzly and seemed more like a ghost town than Santa's Village, with us outnumbered by Santa's helpers. Also a draw was the carousel being open just for Santa's visit. (The carousel usually closes on Labor day and doesn't open until Memorial Day the following year.) When we first arrived, the girls saw this and were non-plussed:

Then Lily saw a sign that said Santa was on a break. Whew!

We ran around a lot to stay warm in the drizzle, rode the carousel, and generally ate up time waiting for Santa's return. When he emerged, I saw a bunch of people around him, so I thought there was a line, so we waited and kept playing. When the line didn't move for 10 minutes, we went over and discovered they were all Santa's helpers and Santa was sitting in his sleigh all alone waiting for us to arrive:

We rode the carousel one last time - literally the last time before it closed up until next year - and then went home to save Heather. It was good for all of us.