One-year-old Peyton Anderson of Minersville approached the man in the red suit and white beard Monday afternoon and her blue eyes widened in fear.
"She's been around older, fat men with beards and she's never been scared of them. But she won't look at him at all. She kept turning away," said her uncle, Javonie Rosa, 19, of Minersville.
Peyton's family was hoping to get a photo of her with Santa at Fairlane Village mall in Pottsville but the little girl was reluctant to sit on Santa's knee.
"When I took her up the first time, she cried and screamed. In a minute, I'll try taking her up again," said Peyton's grandmother, Dawn Kolodziej, Minersville.
The Republican-Herald is encouraging people with photos of children upset on Santa's lap to enter them in a contest, the second annual "Scared of Santa" photo challenge.
Deadline for submissions is 9 a.m. Dec. 21. Voting will begin that day and wrap at noon Jan. 1. "The one photo that receives the most votes will win. The lucky winner will receive $250 in prizes," Aimee Eckley, director of interactive media at the newspaper, said Tuesday.
For information, visit republicanherald.com/scared.
David O'Connell, a psychologist based in Pottsville, summed up Santa-phobia in a beat: "It's a psychological fear of the unknown."
"The main reason children are afraid of Santa Clause is they're afraid of strangers, and Santa Claus, whatever they're told and whatever they know about him, he still is a strange man. I mean, he looks strange, and children can be afraid of clowns and other costumed characters also," O'Connell said.
The Santa at Fairlane Village, who had a real white beard and would only identify himself as "Santa Claus," said children shouldn't be afraid of him.
"It kind of goes with the age," Santa said Tuesday.
Ed Jalonski, who runs Jalonski Photos LLC, was the photographer for Santa at the mall Monday. He said two-thirds of all toddlers who come by are afraid to sit on Santa's lap.
"I'm really not sure why children are afraid of Santa Claus but it's definitely age-related. It's children between 2 and 4." Jalonski said.
"The cause depends on the tot's age. When they're about 2, many toddlers who often struggle with toddler stranger anxiety shrink at the sight of costumed characters, hence the fear of Santa, clowns, trick-or-treaters," Heidi Murkoff, California, the author of "What to Expect When You're Expecting," said on her website, whattoexpect.com.
O'Connell offered some advice to parents on how to deal with children experiencing such fear.
"It's rectified by just being supportive. One way is to show the little child there's no reason to be afraid. Have an older brother or sister sit in Santa's lap first. The more familiar a child is with Santa Claus, the less there will be a problem. Children should never be forced to sit on Santa's lap," O'Connell said.
As Peyton and her family waited in line Monday afternoon, April Zaleski, 25, of Frackville, was doing her best to encourage her daughter, Brynn Grubb, 2, to put on a happy face while sitting on Santa's knee.
"Smile. Smile," Grubb said as the photographer took aim. "She's a little nervous, you can tell. She'll have this blank stare. She wanted 'down.' She was reaching for me," Grubb said.
"I think it's the color red, the bright red suit. I don't know what it is. Dogs are scared of the red suit, too," he said.
Some children are afraid of people in costume.
"But he also doesn't have anything really covering his face," said Kolodziej, Peyton's grandmother.
"I think it's because it's something strange. You only see him, like, once a year," Zaleski said.
"I think it has to do with a fear of strangers and stuff like that. Say you're a year old and they throw you in that guy's lap. What would you think?" Jalonski said.
"I think parents make a big deal about Santa Claus. They should just treat me as just normal. I'm just a normal person," Santa at Fairlane Village said.
After a 20-minute break, Kolodziej asked her granddaughter, "You want to try Santa again?"
Kolodziej took Peyton back over to see Santa.
"She made a lovely face and then she tries to turn away. She wasn't going to sit on his lap," Kolodziej said.
Santa waived and held out a two-inch-long candy cane wrapped in plastic.
"She took the candy cane, though. So there's progress," Kolodziej said. How to help kids calm down around Santa Claus
What should you do if your child is afraid of Santa or other costumed characters? Here's some advice from Heidi Murkoff, author of "What to Expect When You're Expecting."
- Don't force it. Getting a cute photo is tempting but making a petrified toddler go near Santa, much less sit on his lap, won't make the fear disappear. In fact, it can ramp up the anxiety and turn her off all things holiday-related.
- Play it straight. That means no teasing or smiling at her distress, which can backfire and make her even more phobic. A child's fear of clowns may seem silly or irrational to a parent, but it's no laughing matter to the child.
- Avoid admonishing. Along the same lines, try not to say things like, "There's no reason to be afraid" or "Don't act like a baby." Instead of making the child feel less anxious, scolding and shaming will fan the fires of the toddler fear and make children feel bad about themselves.
- Be supportive. Tell children that you won't let anything bad happen and that they don't have to approach Santa if they don't want to.
- Back away. If a child seems more shy than scared, hold his or her hand and watch from afar while other kids hug the clowns or Santa. The child may calm down enough to realize that there's no danger. If possible, avoid encounters with costumed characters in a small, crowded space because it may make the child may feel cornered and afraid.
- Offer to go first. If the child seems curious, you can ask: "How about if I have my picture taken with Santa first?" If the child still doesn't want to, don't plead or push. There will be many other opportunities for photos and making childhood memories.
Source: whattoexpect.com