Mr. Bob was the store's Santa Claus for 10 years, but after dealing with unruly kids and increasingly impatient parents for several holiday seasons, he decided to quit. He was actually let go. He had grown used to being stuck with candy canes and the occasional wet diaper, but as the years went by, the atmosphere worsened—parents became less polite and focused only on getting their kids to the front of the line before their makeup melted under the bright lights. Many were on their phones while their kid stole candy canes from the helper elves or shoved another kid to the ground, bringing tears that ruined the make-up to other moms' delight. Then there was Roy, the store photographer tasked with the almost-impossible job. Moms and kids in front of a winter wonderland backdrop, literally screaming at the kids to quit messing with their hair and for the love of Saint Nick, leave the makeup alone. Roy always did his best, and after picture after picture, he always found the right one to present to the moms. The one where the kid was looking at the mom who was holding up a new cell phone, if she smiled her best smile for Mr. Roy. It worked every time.
But the straw that broke Bob's back was a kid named Leroy. An over-eater, a bully of all bullies, whose primary purpose in life was to prove to all the kids waiting to see Santa that he was a fake and not so good at being that. Their eyes met as Leroy made it to the front of the line, but not before letting the kids know Santa was a fake. When somebody tried to tell him he was wrong, he would stomp on their foot and steal their candy canes.
Slowly, Leroy sat on Santa's knee with enough force to cause Mr. Bob's excruciating pain. But Leroy wasn't done yet as he bounced up and down on the knee, and it was at that exact moment that Bob did what he had to do and sent Leroy flying off his knee, right into the Christmas tree, which came crashing down on an elf. He wasn't hurt. Shocked parents quickly gathered their screaming kids and left the store. Roy showed Bob the pictures he got, and both agreed his job here was over.
Funny how some things can go from worse to good, and that's what happened. The local newspaper, along with hundreds of online posts, reported that Santa threw a kid into a Christmas tree, with the headline reading, "What Santa does to bullies was the talk of the entire town." For Leroy, well, he moved away somewhere his face wouldn't be noticed, and Bob? Well, he hung up his Santa suit and worked as the Easter Bunny for the next ten years. After all, who doesn't believe in the easter bunny?
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