The Santa Cam

     The Santa Cams have quite an important place in my little family's Christmas tradition; this is the story.
When Kaysie was little,  probably about 4, we were in Target around Christmas browsing in the toy department.  I have to preface this with the fact that after Thanksgiving every kid I've ever known has been filled to the tippy top with the spirit of Christmas, often times, much to the dismay and frustration of their parent.  On this particular evening there was such a child in the toy department at Target, and it was not my daughter.  He was racing up and down the aisles thrilled with all the toys at his eye level.  His mother looked like she had about had it.  I knew that look all too well.  Your darling child has been transformed into a Christmas demon, bent on frazzling your every last nerve.  Yep, been there.  Finally, with all the exasperation she could muster she told him that if he didn't get in the cart this instant, the Santa Cams right in that Target were going to show Santa that he belonged on the naughty list and he wouldn't be getting anything but underwear, socks and coal for Christmas!  I thought holy cow, this kid has been working hard all day to get his poor mother to this point.  All the while she was pointing at the ceiling.  I thought, what is she pointing at, and then it dawned on me, the sprinkler heads!  Those were the Santa Cams!  I thought this woman is a genius!  Sure enough a few weeks later in that very same Target I was at the same point with my own daughter.  She wasn't quite at the same point as that little fellow was, but she was pretty darned close.  I told her about the same thing and showed her the Santa Cams.  Her little eyes grew wide, and she straightened up in short order.
     Those sprinkler heads are EVERYPLACE.  We have them in our apartment, in all the rooms, even the bathroom.  They are every few feet in every store, the airport, schools, church and the grocery store.  Hmmm.  Let me just say, that the legend of the Santa Cam grew to include the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.  Stretching it I know, but a desperate parent will take desperate measures to entice good behavior.  I'm not above that.  A single mother, especially, needs to have tools that work.  The Santa Cam worked - at least for a while.  In our house the Santa Cams clicked on on September 1st (Kaysie's birthday - coincidentally) and they kept a very careful account of right and wrong doing.  Aided by, a few years later The Elf on the Shelf.  When Kaysie was 8 I pulled out all the stops when the Elf named Ellie came to visit for the holidays.  That was the year that the idea of Santa was suspect; due to a conversation in the back of the school bus (subject of a future blog post).   So, Ellie the Elf on the Shelf came to disprove that conversation.
     With the help of Tim Allen and the Santa Claus movies, Ellie and the Santa Cams and a cleverly penned letter from Santa kept the secret safe for one more year.  Sadly, the jig was up after that.  Thanks to a fireman during Fire Prevention Week I was found out, and so were the Santa Cams.  I remember that day.  "MOM!! The Santa cams are sprinkler heads!"  I was so sad.  My cleverness had been discovered.  Ellie the Elf left forever and the sleigh bell didn't ring anymore (mostly because I bent that sucker and took the ringer thingy out to make a point).  Kaysie felt bad I think.  She snuggled up to me one night that Christmas and said, "Don't worry mommy we can tell  Maddie (her cousin) about the Santa Cams."  That we did.  So the legend of the Santa Cams will live on for another few years in our family.  Just so you know, when we are in Target around Christmas time and I see a frazzled parent, I share with them the secret of the Santa Cams.  You can't believe some of the looks I've gotten!  It's priceless when they realize the power of the Santa Cam and what pure genius the thought of it is!  May all of you parents out there discover for yourselves the power of the Santa Cam!  You better watch out because Santa is watching!  Cheers!