Santa Claus - The Expose

Once upon a time in a land far, far…oh. No. It was Brockton. Back in 1890 James Edgar of Edgar's Department Store in Brockton sported a white beard and a belly laugh, he suited up as Santa Claus for an appearance in his Brockton Store. It wasn't Macy's, it wasn't Coke, it was a store in "The City of Champions" where the department store Santa was born. In the interest of full disclosure it appears that a Kris Kringle character did make an appearance in a Philadelphia store in 1841 – but Edgar's really marked the birth of the department store Santa. Kids growing up today know more of the "mall" Santa. He checks his list and listens to children's wishes from that coveted spot in the middle of the food court or a Santa's village placed in the crossroads of all the anchor stores of the mall (maybe where the Easter Bunny lives in the spring).

What, you ask, does Santa think about all the kids hopping up on his lap? Boston Behind the Scenes – one of Bostonist's favorite and highest rated webcast – stole a few moments with the Santa who sits in Santa's Village at the Stone Zoo in Stoneham. Adam Weiss provides an interesting 20 minute interview with a "real beard" Santa Claus who himself grew up visiting the department store Santa at Jordan Marsh's Enchanted Village and later sat in that same throne. Santa gives some of the secrets of interacting with kids and the best secret of all: how to get that good picture without promising a PS3. Pull down the podcast and have a listen for yourself. Or better yet, visit Santa at the Stone Zoo before he heads to the North Pole on December 23.

Photo of a Mall Santa (not the one interviewed) in waiting courtesy of Flickr user Zesmerelda