It’s always a classic — that Santa and the happy, Christmas-loving kid photo that goes awry.

It’s anything but holly jolly. Though, while we always tend to cringe a bit for that crying kid, we can’t seem to help seeing the humor in it. Let’s face it, it’s pretty funny. Parents get a bit of a ho-ho-ho out of it, too. What else are they gonna do?

They wait all year to wait in line one day and plop their pint-sized children on the lap of a giant bearded, usually sweaty, dude in a red suit who stares them down in the eyeballs and asks if they’ve been good. Who wouldn’t cringe, cry or store gape-mouthed?

But then there’s more. The parents want them to turn the ol frown upside down and smile — and right quick, because this Santa trauma is popular and he’s got lots of fans waiting for that horrific two or three seconds.

Then it happens. The flash. The wailing. The squirming. The horror of it all — captured on film (well, memory card) for posterity. These are the moments …

But, fear not. It’s not every kid that has a PTSD-worthy moment with that Santa pose. Some kids sit down and chat away … and rat out their parents. Yeah. Ever hear those? And they have their own long list of Mommy and Daddy naughties and it’s not nice. Hey, they’re innocents, right? Hmmmmm … Those are the kids Santa can’t hoist off his lap with a crowbar. Next, please!

Oh, and then there’s double trouble Santa poses. The lovely shots in which one kid is smiling like a freakishly perfect Christmas angel and the other is possessed by the Christmas devil.

Yes, these are the moments …

Let us not forget the kids in a Santa trance. They won’t answer him. They won’t move. They are frozen in a moment of either sheer horror or disbelief.

Hey, at least those kids sit still for the pose.

Oh, and we must not forget the classic beard-tuggers. They’re hard to catch in the Kodak moment for all time, but they’re out there and they’re stealth. So keep your eyes peeled for these dastardly little hooligans.

Everyone has their Santa moment as a kid. Everyone has their own kids’ Santa moments. The gallery above highlights a few classics that have been shared with us. Your moment? Share away … send it to [email protected]!

Happy holidays and give us a good ol’ smile or antic for Saint Nick!