For little kids, meeting Santa Claus is one of the greatest parts of the Christmas experience. The same can't be said for your average mall Santa, however. Jokes about mall Santas and drinking have jumped the shark at this point; Bad Santa was an hour-and-a-half of Billy Bob Thornton drunk.
It's a tough gig. For hours on end, little kids demand the impossible while seated damply in your lap. They want race cars, ponies, lightsabers, superpowers. All the while, you have to temper their expectations, so they're not completely devastated when they get books and dress clothes on. Maybe that's why the guys in these photos look so damn sad. It's a lot of pressure for a part-time job.