Santaphobe

He asked me to do a piece exploring the dark and hitherto hidden phases of the childhood of Santa Claus as revealed by the searchlight of modern child psychology; […]. What hard-line Santaphobe could resist such a lure?

During my bachelor years it was my habit to spend Christmas firmly shut away with a fellow Santaphobe, dedicating the day itself to work and study, with a quiet meal of roast pork and claret at the end of it.

Even if a kid accepts Santa, she or he may panic about the bearded icon in certain situations. "I would always leave out cookies and milk for him, [but] when it came to meeting him in person, I couldn't handle it," says Jane, a 25-year-old former Santaphobe.