This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Happy Family Products for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

The holiday hustle is one of my least favorite things about December. It feels like every email comes with another reminder of an event we’d like experience as a family or an invitation to an open house event. We try to keep our to do list short during the holidays so we keep our stress level to a minimum. Our lives are crazy enough. Today’s post comes to you courtesy of the Happy Family Brand. Visit the Happy Family website to learn about organic baby and toddler food.

Last year, was Lola’s first Christmas.  I wanted to make sure I got a picture of my son and daughter together for Lola’s first big holiday memory- visiting Santa! I had so much fun picking out her Christmas dress and choosing a sweater that matched for Malone to wear. 

We were able to get right in to see the jolly guy at Yankee Candle’s flagship store. 

I happen to be a Santa seeing professional and knew that we needed to be there to wait in line for him at least 25 minutes before the doors opened.  We still had to wait fifteen minutes for him. But sometimes people wait hours. Can you blame them? This guy is the real deal! 

When we were finished with our visit, we took a trip to the store so we could pick out an ornament that represented each child’s year. Malone picked out a swimmer and for Lola we choose a sweet baby in a swaddle. 

Malone and Lola wore those same outfits for Christmas Eve service at church. I remembered feeling so nervous that she’d be fussy during an evening service. She ended up sleeping through the whole thing! 

This year seeing Santa was a last minute idea. At the very last possible second, we decided to visit Santa’s Trains at Look Park. By the time we got there, the line to see Santa wrapped through the building and almost out the door. The Look Park Santa is my favorite because he takes a lot of time with each child and really makes them feel special.

It is possible to visit Santa without losing your mind. I took a few precautions along the way that made our experience wonderful. And I’ve got my toes crossed that this year’s Christmas Eve service goes as smoothly as it did last year! 

How To Visit Santa Without Losing Your Mind.

(c) depositphotos/simplefoto[/caption]

1. Pack a lot of mess free snacks like Happy Family Brands Puffs. 

2. Encourage the child to approach Santa at their own pace. This is a BIG DEAL in their world and they might be a little intimidated.

3. Tell your child ahead of time what to expect, especially if you’re going to be waiting for a long time.

4.Take a bathroom break before you get in line.

5. Get your camera ready before the kids get in Santa’s lap.

6. Make friends with the people you’re waiting in line with.

7. Remind your child that waiting is a good time to practice their patience. It’s also a good idea to remind yourself of that too!

8. Play a game while you wait (we love I-spy).

9. Use technology to your advantage. While we were waiting for Santa, I gave Malone my phone and asked him to take photos of the interesting things he saw.

10. If all else fails, remind your child who they’re about to meet (and leverage that to your advantage)!

We’ve been big fans of the Happy Family Brands for quite sometime. Before Malone was born, I read somewhere that you’ve only got until a child is three to influence the development of a child’s taste buds. We know that every bite counts. Happy Family Brands knows that too and follows a philosophy called Enlightened Nutrition where they add age appropriate super foods to their products whenever they can.

They offer a full suite of products aimed not only being nutritionally sound by using the best ingredients, but they also make food that tastes good. I know this because I taste everything I put in front of my kids.

My husband may or may not be addicted to Happy Family Brands Happy Yogis himself. He often plays the one for you and three for me game with Lola.

Right now, you can Join Happy Family on Facebook and enter to win during December’s #TistheSqueezin giveaways!

They’ve also got a great coupon available right now- Enjoy a $1 off coupon for Happy Family baby food pouches.

What is your favorite family holiday memory? What do you love about Happy Family Brands products?