As a parent, I’ve never been a huge Santa fan.  I do a lot of research and make a lot of  exhausting trips to the stores during Christmas to track down the items that will make my children happy come Christmas morning, and it’s always annoyed me that the guy in the red suit gets all the credit.

But the whole Santa enterprise got a lot more annoying this year.  During a trip to the Northwest Arkansas Mall, I discovered that parents are no longer allowed to take their own pictures of their kids sitting on Santa’s lap.

Obviously the mall and the guy in the red suit deserve to be compensated.  But, in the past, that compensation has always been indirect: The mall provides a Santa, I visit the mall as a result, and I inevitably spend some money while I am there.  I thought that was the deal.  And, if I want to snap a picture with my own little point-and-shoot camera that fits into my pocket, so what?  The lunch I bought my whole family at the food court should cover the 30 seconds my son spent with Santa.

Given how long this Christmas-time transaction has been implicit at malls, I was mildly annoyed (though not as annoyed as most of the parents I encountered) when I found that the Northwest Arkansas Mall was prohibiting parents from taking their own photos of their children with Santa.

I might have easily dismissed this act as yet another sign of the struggling economy and respected the tough decision the mall managers had to make.  That is, if myself and every other shopper hadn’t been insulted in the process.  Here is the sign the Santa Plus company had posted at the Santa Line:

Now, I would have had no problem with a straightforward sign that spelled out the policy.  Heck, I would have admired a brutally honest sign that said something like “your kids have snot noses and we’re trying to make a living here, so no personal cameras are allowed, Bub.”  But to cite safety?! If you’ve ever doubted how stupid some retailers think we are, you should make a mental note to never doubt again.  That is, unless you think a bit of Allspark might be loose in your local mall and could turn your camera into a killing machine.

And, in case you’re wondering how much they were charging for photos:  The cheapest item a parent could buy was a single 5×7 for $14.99, and the prices went up from there.  At these prices, you’d be better off buying your own Santa suit.

This is probably the last year Santa will be a part of my Christmas, simply because my kids are getting too old.  But I expect annoying policies like this one will cause a lot of other parents to reconsider whether or not this whole Santa business is even worth it.  I also think that retailers at the mall will eventually suffer as a result.

I would advise other parents to do what I did this year.  If the people who wrote that sign truly think that people are that stupid, then oblige them and play along.  I acted like I couldn’t even read when I pulled out my own camera and took my own picture of my son sitting on Santa’s lap.