For most families, no Christmas season is complete without a trip to the mall to visit Santa. A visit to Santa can be a magical experience, like in this video where Santa surprises a girl with her father returning from Afghanistan.
Sometimes, however, Santa can be terrifying.
My parents made the mistake of taking me to the mall when I was two or three years old. Thinking I'd love the opportunity to meet this fabled dream-maker, they were very excited to take a photo of my beaming face with St. Nicholas himself. From my point of view, however, they were handing me over to a bearded stranger wearing a weird costume as some random people demanded I smile while they took my picture. The result was every bit as bad as the photos below – possibly worse.
Of course, I look back on it now and laugh, but these hilariously creepy photos below remind me that sometimes the Santa stand-ins sent to malls and homes can be downright terrifying.
In the famous "A Visit from St. Nicholas" poem (also known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"), Santa is described this way: "His eyes, how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!"
These Santas below do not look merry. In fact, they look just as miserable as the kids on their laps.
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1. I legitimately can't tell who is more upset about being in this situation.
2. This little girl is smiling right now, but wait until she turns around...
3. One time in the 1950s, Santa apparently held a Teddy Bear for ransom.
4. What's that on your breath, Santa?
A terrifying Santa from the early 1950s on the next page…
5. I just felt a chill down my spine.
6. Why does his beard cover his entire face?
7. It looks like Santa's face is melting. Was the fireplace lit when he came through the chimney?
8. "He sees you when you're sleeping..."
More bone-chilling Santas after the jump…
10. "He knows when you've been bad or good, so be good...or else!"
10. I believe in Santa. I believe in ghosts. I believe that Santa is a ghost.
11. This Santa is terrifying, but don't miss that girl in the background. She's definitely plotting her escape.
12. Look at these kids. Is a trip to visit Santa really what you want to do to your kids this year?
13. I guarantee this man's face is on a "Wanted" poster somewhere.
14. I can't tell if this is a photo of Santa or an excerpt from that video in "The Ring."
15. I mean, he doesn't even want to try to look friendly.
16. If my job involved listening to hundreds of children crying every day, I would be making that face too.
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