Things we know about Santa: He works one day a year (though very hard then), he will eat any baked treats that you might accidentally leave out on your own table in your own home, he commands a crafty army of small people, and TODDLERS ARE TERRIFIED OF HIM! This was proven yet again by my kid the other night in The Old Spaghetti Factory. After we'd eaten our Old Spaghetti, a sweet older couple dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Claus came around to delight the children. As Kris Kringle moved closer to Allie her eyes widened in horror and once he said "Hello, little gir-" she burst forth with a scream that put the whole restaurant in full defense mode. The people at the table behind us enjoyed it as much as we did, especially since Santa had no choice but to flee quickly.

Then Sara Ryan, who I get half my content from these days, sent this link with a whole gallery of Santas terrifying children. I see she's been curious about what Allie sings because she's checked out the entry on Ring Around The Rosie at Snopes.com. They debunk the notion that the song is about the Black Plague, but in the background I hear Jill saying "It's about Scarlet Fever," so take that, Snopes. I love that site though. I throw it at everyone who passes on the letter saying NPR is going to be shut down or the spammunition-gatherer letter that's supposed to be a kid's school project to "see how big the internet is!" Anyway, here's my vote for creepiest Santa...