I feel like everyone has had at least one experience with a mall santa. Whether it was waiting in line for over an hour for one lousy picture or getting a picture with your screaming siblings… almost everyone has a story.

I feel like mall santas themselves are problematic. Having your children sit on a strangers lap and spill their Christmas secrets is the last thing I would want to do with my kids.

I can’t even imagine how awful it would be for the mall santas themselves. That big, red suit and sparkling white beard can not be comfortable, and getting paid minimum wage to have heavy children sit on you cannot be that appealing either.

Plus, what kid or parent wants to stand in line for over an hour to see santa? I’m 17 and the last thing I ever want to do is wait in line.

I understand that some children may really enjoy seeing santa, but personally, it was never a family favorite. Having some stranger dressed as santa in the background of our Christmas cards was never a first choice. Honestly, I think my mom just felt bad for our santa wannabe.

Truthfully, I have always had a hard time with passing the santas in the mall. Saying “ho-ho-ho” and “what do you want for Christmas” over and over again to children must get really repetitive, and I feel embarrassed for them whenever I walk past. Plus, after the 100th child, I’m sure santa is done paying attention to what children actually want for Christmas.

In the children’s defense, meeting santa can be a wonderful family experience, but how long does it take before seeing santa becomes a chore?

It must be even worse if you see santa more than once during the holiday season. Seeing two different santas means waiting in two different lines, and listening to more screaming soccer moms who want the perfect Christmas card picture.

At the end of the day, Christmas is the time of year to be with the people you care about, and waiting in line for a mall santa is not the best way to spend your time.