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Santa, terrified children, and photo ops

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Bradley Guire, Dec 11, 2013.

  1. Bradley Guire

    Bradley Guire Well-Known Member

    Tell me, are you one of those parents who insists on taking the little ones to be terrified by an old pedophile man in a grubby, used velvet suit for photos that you know your children will hate you for in 20 years?

    I see these things on eBaums and can't help but wonder why people subject their kids to this.

    And as far as I know, my parents have no pictures like this. Apparently, I was completely at ease with pedophiles Santa.
     
  2. boxingnut4324

    boxingnut4324 Member

    Jewish perk: Not having to deal with creepy, old mall atrium Santas.
     
  3. partain

    partain Member

    I will say this. If you want to feel good about yourself, put on a Santa suit and make an appearance in front of a group of children where they aren't forced to sit on your lap. I played Santa at a Christmas party last year and handed out gifts to each kid. I posed for pictures with those that wanted to, while others just gazed at me like I was a rock star. It was just awesome. No crying babies or tantrums. Just a couple dozen kids ranging from 3 years old to teenagers. I was only asked because the other guys involved were all too tall for the suit they had access to.
     
  4. TigerVols

    TigerVols Well-Known Member

    Well, Santa did spring from the legend of a man who boiled children into ham.

    http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/dec/12/pupils-father-christmas-ruined-by-vicar-santa-claus-origins
     
  5. MisterCreosote

    MisterCreosote Well-Known Member

  6. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member


    That' pretty cool, but some of those Santas are creepy.
     
  7. Spartan Squad

    Spartan Squad Well-Known Member

    This.

    Honestly, the people playing Santa probably get more from doing it than the kids do. It melts your heart with a kid who truly believes in St. Nick comes walking up and gives Santa a hug and shares his or her Christmas list. Yeah, some kids cry and the photo isn't the cute picturesque family portrait, but the kid won't remember the tantrum and the photo becomes funny when the kid is older.

    When a kid is bawling, what seems to work quite well is to have them with mom or dad and have the photographer distract them. Doesn't always do the trick, but this year, it cut down on a few screaming kid photos.

    I have a good friend of mine who has played Santa for years and every year he has a more touching story than the last. This year, a little girl ran up to him, dug around in her purse and gave Santa a wrapped present.

    The last two years, I got to be Santa for my nephews. It is hands down my favorite memory of spending time with them.
     
  8. Bradley Guire

    Bradley Guire Well-Known Member

    Why are you ruining my War on Christmas (™) with heart-warming tales?
     
  9. waterytart

    waterytart Active Member

    A mall here offers an hour each year, when it's otherwise closed, for special ed. kids to visit Santa. That way, a 15-year-old who still believes can see Santa without causing a lot of uncomfortable reactions from the other customers.
     
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