These vintage pictures of Santa Claus will scare children and adults alike.
America has a long tradition of children being horrified to get plopped onto the lap of a fat stranger dressed in a garishly red outfit, his face covered in a white beard. But these vintage photos of Santas past take that horror to the next level.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
That’s how the narrator of “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” better known as “The Night Before Christmas,” describes Santa in Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem.
But when you see these Kris Kringles, visions of sugarplums won’t be dancing in your head — you’ll have terrible nightmares instead. –Wally