Should I complain/give feedback on our experience with Santa or am I overreacting?

[Dori43]

Visited Santa last night with my 2 children (boy age 7, girl age 8). Called into the room to see Santa and the kids go over for their photo. Right away he is arms round their waist and did this for the whole approx 5-7 min interaction, I noticed and was a bit surprised as thought all that was stopped now.
afterwards both children said to me they didn’t like him because he “pulled me right into him” and my daughter said he was tickling her side when holding her round the waist.
I know it’s not the biggest deal in the world but it made them both uncomfortable and I’m wondering should I drop an email
wirh some feedback. Im sure theres many other kids who also wouldn’t like this

You shouldn't have taken them. Really, either you (and they) are fine with a dressed up stranger enticing then in and making physical contact before giving gifts or you're not.

Or, of course, she could take them to a Santa experience, rather than a stranger making physical contact with them? Like a normal person?

We do Santa at DD's school; it's the headteacher's husband dressed up in costume and very nicely he does it too - but I know an awful lot of people who take their kids to much fancier events, and I'm fairly sure these days it is normal for the usual rules about touching other people's kids to apply

I did not have “Santa might be a pervert” on my festive bingo card.

I don't understand why, if an interaction with your DC was making you uncomfortable, you didn't intervene at the time?

It's quite normal when getting a present 'from Santa' to be held, hugged, or to be sat on a lap. Either that's okay with you or not.

Er yes, he can’t tickle your daughters waist. That’s so far beyond normal

No, wouldn't expect those things, certainly not without 'does your 3 year old want a picture sitting with me' or similar. Don't think many 8-year-old boys sit on Santa's lap.

Me neither.

But then, Michael Rosen wrote a poem about a boy running away from home on Christmas Eve, because he was afraid that Santa might come down the chimney and grab him.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
Don’t tell mum I’m running away

But the whole Santa thing is really creepy anyway. Especially the “be good or Santa won’t come”, and don’t get me started on the elves.

There’s that Simpson’s episode satirising the whole Santa thing, in which Homer has to go through an exacting selection process to be Santa.

If it made your kids uncomfortable I’d give feedback on that

My nephew was terrified of Santa, he thought he was an intruder who broke into people’s houses.

He used to cry that he didn’t want him to use his magic key to get in because it wasn’t his house and that’s naughty. 😂