My friend Brad beat me to this one … last night we took Madeline to get her picture taken with Santa at the Nittany Mall. Let’s just say it was an interesting experience. Not only was the big guy 45 minutes late coming back from the “feeding the reindeer” break, but the whole thing was a bit unsettling.
As we were standing in line, Madeline asked “do I really need to sit on that guy’s lap” Let me remind you that she is turning 5 in a couple of days, so she could see right through this “Santa’s” makeup. The thing that blew my mind was the poster shown below that offered not only the picture of the photo shoot, but the ability to purchase the copyright of said photo for a mere $22.00 dollars. As my friend Brad asked today during the latest ETS Talk Podcast, “do we all need personal IP attorneys walking around with us?” Something tells me that we are on the verge of a major societal collapse when Santa wants to own the images of children all over the World.
Dude! Next year, bring the kids up to Calgary. Our local mall santa rocks. Not only do they allow parents and others to take their own photos, Santa himself insisted that I hand my camera to his photographer so I could pose on his lap because “it’s a good one for the email”
I’d guess the Santa you visited was outsourced, and not hired directly by the mall. Mall management (at least here) sees Santa as a way to drive more people through the mall. There’s a nominal fee (I think it was $15 for a sheet of photos) but they do a great job. Even the waiting area is great – just leave your name with the Greeting Elf, then go play with the toys, kiosks, slides, etc… or watch a Christmas movie. They call you when it’s your turn, so you don’t have to stand in line for an hour.
That’s aside from the whole Santa-is-not-Christmas pagan holiday co-opted into a commercialization engine. That drives me nearly insane every single year.
Maybe you could sell them a license to use your kids’ image in their photographs? It should work both ways…
Almost forgot – I’m pretty sure the Santa’s beard was real, too. Or, at least it’s very convincing…
“Friendship Special”
Now that’s hilarious.