to think the geriatrics employed as store-Santas shouldn't be child haters?

[BlackSwan]

So I took 22mo DS to a major department store in London today and happened to come across their magical Christmas world... hey, I thought, why don't we see Santa for the first time? That's a milestone for any child.

Mistake.

The experience was costly (7 quid for me, free for him) and long and drawn out... I expected a 10 minute queue and a photo on Santa's lap: we were there for over half an hour while fairy princesses 'entertained' us and then as a group were taken into Santas lair.

The rest of the visit was fairly predictable - questions about what each child wanted from Santa and then photos.

Punchline: when Santa gave my DS a 'gift' (store sponsored book) he asked him to say thankyou... I asked DS, who is learning to say 'thanks' to thank Santa. He just stood there, as most 22 month olds would. Santa's response: 'He's a spoiled little boy'.

Yeah... well I didn't buy a photo. We just left.

I had a similar experience when DS was 3. Father Christmas was just standing at the till chatting to the assistant, he was supposed to be walking around mingling. He wasn't at all interested unless you paid out the fee for a photo. I felt that if they were going to the trouble to have one he had to be 'in role' when he was on the shop floor. There was nothing in the least magical about it.
I wrote a polite letter to the store saying that I wouldn't have taken DS into the toy department had I known. They wrote a nice one back and apologised. The changed their policy.

(I don't think that you should use geriatric as an insult and FC is supposed to have reached a mature age)

I read one blog where the woman's DH works as Santa each year and then she spends time ranting about DCs today and the commercialism of Christmas so I think that is almost as bad-he is disapproving, although he hides it.

Agreed OP - not a pleasant Santa at all. If you're in London I would really recommend the Southbank Santa show - no queuing (buy tickets) and Father Christmas and Mother Christmas do a great show (all kids on bottoms in a semicircle) with elf helpers and then at the end each child gets to go up and sit on FC's knee and the gift is a book I think. DS (11 months last year) was captivated enough to sit still on my lap. It was in a small decorated tent opposite Giraffe/Royal Festival Hall - just looked on Southbank website and can't see anything up yet so am hoping it's on again this year.

Bloodyhell.