It's almost time for jolly Old Saint Nick to set up shop in local malls and other locations for photo ops with tots tarted up in their holiday best. Most kids can't wait to hop up in that capacious lap and tell Mr. Claus what they want to find under the tree on Christmas morning. But for some wee ones, Santa Claus in the flesh is just too huge, too hairy . . . and way too scary. The Chicago Tribune has just published a collection of "fright before Christmas" photos in the book "Scared of Santa: Scenes of Terror in Toyland," which is based on the feature introduced several years ago.

We know the families of Tallahassee have their own "Scared of Santa" photos and stories to share. Please rummage through the family photo album and get 'em out for us to compile our own "Scenes of Terror in Toyland." Send your high-resolution jpeg images (and the stories behind the photos) via e-mail to Assistant Features Editor Kati Schardl at kschardl@tallahassee.com by Dec. 12. We'll publish the results in the Dec. 21 Living & the Arts section, with a link to an online photo gallery. Questions? Call 599-2149.