Punks.

I'm so disappointed. So. Disappointed.

Yesterday, we decided to get Bella all gussied up and head on over to the local Bass Pro Shop to have her pics taken with Santa. I love going there for a few reasons.

1. The Santa looks completely legit. He's super sweet. Has a great suit. AND a real beard.

2. The Santa area is decorated wonderfully.

3. The crafts. Love. It can turn the single event of seeing Santa into a fun little morning/afternoon outing. Yesterday we wrote a letter to Santa that we then "mailed" in the Bass Pro mailbox (they said she will get a personalized letter back from the big guy before Christmas too :), we made an ornament, and did a color sheet.

(I am so in love with the fact that she refers to an Easy Bake Oven as an Easy Bake Off. Love it.)

4. the games-lots of good ol' redneck games to play either while you wait or after you're done. Nothing like a visit to Santa followed by a little nerf crossbow action!

(notice the little girl in the background? After listening to Rob give Bella crossbow lessons, she decided she better pay attention. The man clearly knew what he was talking about, and was obviously a crossbow commando.)

5. This one was my favorite. THE FREE PICTURES AND THE ABILITY TO TAKE AS MANY PICS AS YOU WANT WITH YOUR OWN CAMERA!!!

Except this year, Bass Pro Shop decided to be punks and NOT let Mommies and Daddies take ANY pictures of the kiddos with their own cameras. Call me cheap, but honestly that is why I go there! To get my one free picture and to take my own!

I got some of the most adorable pictures last year of the munchkin timidly walking up to Santa, then shaking his hand, and finally, shyly climbing up into his lap. Seriously, adorable.

Well not this year! The picture police quickly put an end to my efforts to snap some equally adorable pictures of my baby this year. She told me, without any hesitation or kindness, "Excuse me mam! No pictures here with Santa. You will have to go elsewhere in he store to do that!"

I'm sorry, what did you just say? ELSEWHERE in the store?! As if I dressed my daughter in a long,shimmery dress just to come to Bass Pro Shop to take random pictures of her with say, a mounted elk head?! Oh no! It must have been for posing by the massive display of "deer scent". WHO DID SHE THINK WE WERE THERE TO SEE?!

I know, I really should be thankful for the one free picture I received, and I am. Really, I am. HOWEVER, last year, Bass Pro was super braggy about their generosity in offering parents the gift of taking their own pictures, and this year they totally let me down. It was a hard blow.

I have purchased things there just because I liked supporting a store that did something like that for the community. For being a store that, at least once a year, wasn't only about making $$, but about doing something kind.

Sellouts.

I'm sure next year, they will be charging a small fee to do the crafts or making you buy tickets to play the games.

So, Bass Pro Shop, for turning greedy this year and forcing parents to PURCHASE a stupid, expensive package if they wanted to capture more than one magical moment of their children seeing Santa: BOOOOOOO!!!! ON YOU!!