He's huge and hairy and hulking. 
He dresses in strange furry clothing. 
He sneaks into people's homes at night.
Who wouldn't be afraid of . . . Santa Claus?!?

Nothing says Christmas quite like innocent children shrieking with terror as a stranger dressed in red drags them kicking and screaming onto his lap. Now this time-honored rite of passage is celebrated with a hilarious collection of more than two hundred and fifty priceless photos of kids' traumatic trips to Santa's workshop. Scared of Santa offers a cornucopia of photographic funnies—from sixty-year-old family heirlooms to last year's howlers—along with delightful commentary on those unforgettable childhood visits to scary ol' Saint Nick.

Denise Joyce is a longtime editor for the Chicago Tribune and has the gold watch to prove it. She and her husband have two grown children; their behavior supports the theory that one out of every two children is terrified of Santa—and clowns.

Nancy Watkins is a Chicago Tribune features editor and writer who is much too good a mom to have ever forced her son, now 11, to sit on Santa's lap.