Once, a little girl asked the mall Santa for a pony. When Santa said it might be a bit difficult, she then pulled out a long list of very specific pony requirements, like it had to be pink with a purple mane. Santa was so flabbergasted he just laughed.
There was a mall Santa who had a really long beard. A mischievous boy tried to see if he could tie some of the beard in a knot when he was sitting on Santa's lap. Santa caught him just in time and they both had a good chuckle about it. The boy then told Santa his Christmas wishes instead.
A memorable one was when a toddler saw the mall Santa and got so excited that he ran towards Santa but tripped on his own feet and landed right at Santa's feet. Santa picked him up and said it was a special flying entrance. The toddler just giggled.
Well, I heard of a 'mall santa horror story' where the santa was actually a thief. He was stealing presents from the kids' bags when they were distracted. It was a shock when it was discovered. There could also be a situation where the santa costume was infested with bugs. When kids sat on his lap, they noticed bugs crawling out, which was truly horrifying. Then there was the santa who got into a fight with another mall employee right in front of the kids. It was not a pleasant sight at all.
I have a great Secret Santa story. In my office, there was a Secret Santa event. One person got their boss as the recipient. They knew the boss was really into golf. So they got a custom - made golf ball with the boss's face printed on it. When the boss opened it, he was so surprised and amused at the same time. He actually took it to the golf course later. Another story is about a family Secret Santa. A young boy got his grandma. He gave her a book of old - fashioned jokes. Grandma spent the whole evening reading the jokes out loud and everyone was in stitches. Also, at a school Secret Santa, a student got their teacher. They gave the teacher a pair of socks with little apples on them (as a nod to the teacher - student relationship). The teacher thought it was really cute and funny.
Sure. Once I saw a little kid trying to ride one of those coin - operated toy cars in the mall. But he was so small that he couldn't reach the pedals properly. His dad had to run beside the car, pushing it forward while the kid was happily turning the steering wheel, thinking he was driving all by himself.
Sure. One funny Santa story is that Santa once got his reindeer mixed up and ended up at the wrong chimney. He was supposed to go to a little girl's house but instead landed at an old man's place. The old man was so shocked to see Santa that he thought he was hallucinating.
Sure. One time I saw a little kid trying on adult sunglasses that were way too big for his face. He was strutting around like a movie star, and it was so hilarious. Everyone around was laughing.
Sure. Once a mall security guard chased a shoplifter who was running with a big box. The shoplifter tripped over his own untied shoelace and the box flew open, revealing a bunch of stuffed animals. It was so funny that the guard couldn't help but laugh instead of being stern right away.
There could be the children who come to visit the Mall Santa. Their excitement and innocence are important elements. Also, the mall employees who work with the Santa, like the elves helping with the setup or the photographers taking pictures. And perhaps a mother or father who is trying to make the Christmas visit to Santa a special memory for their child.
A Santa helper once tried to dress up as an elf but got the costume all wrong. He put the hat on his feet and the shoes on his head. When he walked into the workshop, all the other helpers burst out laughing. He was so embarrassed, but it made for a really funny moment that the helpers still talk about years later.
Once Santa got his sleigh stuck in a chimney. His reindeer were pulling so hard that his hat flew off and landed right in a plate of cookies that a child had left out for him. He finally managed to get unstuck, but he had cookie crumbs all over his beard.