Santa still the best show in town

IT was hard to decide what to do over the weekend.

There was so much stuff on, we really are spoiled for choice living here.

I quite fancied getting my groove on at the Queenscliff Music Festival.

I was also keen to get in touch with my inner revhead at the Geelong Revival.

I even wanted to take my own daughter Matilda to watch her namesakes take on China at Kardinia Park.

But I ended up going to none of them.

Because, while they were all massive events with enormous pulling power, there was an even bigger drawcard in town.

One that slipped under the radar in what was a bumper weekend for our city.

I went to see Santa.

The big guy was making a first appearance of the festive season at the Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre and my son was eager to deliver his Christmas wishlist personally.

He wasn’t alone. The line when we got there was huge.

We stood in the queue for almost an hour waiting for an audience with Mr Claus. But it only took five minutes for my patience to start wearing thin. After half an hour I was cursing under my breath as I stood there trying to calculate how much more of the weekend I was going to waste before we’d get to the front of the line. But when I looked down at my seven-year-old son, whose patience you’d have thought would have faltered long before my own, he didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. Just capturing the odd glimpse of Santa through the hordes while we stood there was enough to sustain him. By the time we finally met the jolly fellow, I knew the wait had been worth it.

My son was so excited he was babbling incoherently about jet packs and robots as Santa listened dutifully with a big smile on his face.

Christmas can be a stressful time for adults; beating the crowds, handling family dynamics and finding the perfect presents and meal plan.

But for kids it’s all about the simple things — a glimpse of Santa, a wishlist and the hope of a special Christmas morning.

I guess I could’ve still gone to any of the big events around our region on the weekend.

After all, Santa does spend a curious amount of time at our shopping centres in the lead-up to Christmas considering how busy he must be.

But it’s little wonder he likes hanging out here, there’s so much to do.