DRESSING up as ‘Santa Claus’ has become a Christmas Eve tradition for me over the past 20 years or more – but spreading the Christmas magic has not been without its mishaps.

There was the time when I rang the doorbell at a friend’s house – resplendent in my full Santa costume – only for his little boy to appear, look me up and down, and shout: “Dad’s it’s Pete Barron at the door!”

Time flies and, unbelievably, that was nearly 30 years ago, but 2025 will be remembered as another year that didn’t go according to plan…

Now she’s reached the grand old age of nine, my own granddaughter, Chloe, has become too big a risk for one of my disguised Santa visits. However, there are always new little ones coming through whose innocence remains intact.

This year, my friend, Dave, had his two grandkids – Max, 5, and Holly, nearly........

© The Northern Echo