Where's Emmy?

I have a question, why do we (parents) think it is a "fun" idea to take our children to a crowded mall full of screaming children and ask them to wait in line to sit in a strange man's lap and take a picture?

It just sounds crazy to me, yet I did just that today. I was positive Tate would have nothing to do with him considering the whole way to the mall he would say, "I do not like Santa. I do not want to see him!" While Emmy said to Tate, "I will hold your hand, Tate." We get to the mall and there he is all dressed in red sitting in a large green chair. Tate is still telling me he does not like him and Emmy is saying she wants to see him and ask him for a baby. Well, it comes time for our turn to see the man in red and Tate walks up to him, gives him five and crawls up next to him and starts up a conversation about trains (what???), while Emmy is having to be coaxed by Mimi just to walk on the red carpet Santa's chair is on. So, in the end, we had Tate making a best buddy and Emmy in tears because she did not want to be within 5 feet of Santa. Tate got a small coloring book from Santa and he thinks it is the best thing ever. He has told me that Emmy did not get one because she did not like Santa. Maybe next year... Tate still looks unsure in the picture,

but I think he was more afraid of the lady taking the picture than Santa.