It's Tradition - Mom, Every Year

How many hours of your life have been wasted on waiting to get a picture with the big man himself? Did you know - "The department store Santa is a 120-year-old tradition In 1890, Massachusetts businessman James Edgar became the first department store Santa, according to The Smoking Jacket. Edgar is credited with coming up with the idea of dressing up in a Santa Claus costume as a marketing tool. Children from all over the state dragged their parents to Edgar's small dry goods store in Brockton, and a tradition was born" -
http://theweek.com/articles/479681/history-santa-claus-7-interesting-facts