Nope, never. If I did, I don’t remember it.
However for a couple of Christmases I was Santa for my kids’ elementary school. Dressed up, visited the classrooms, and had kids sitting on my lap, and talking to them about what they wanted for Chtistmas. It was someting the PTA parents did every year and it was a lot of fun!
That would be me. I sat on his lap when my kids were young because they asked me to - not with them, just me. There is photographic evidence. There is (or was) a picture of me on the intrawebs is a coconut bra and grass skirt. Not only do I have no shame, I revel in it!
I don’t think Santa was much of a “thing” in the 1940s so no I didn’t. More to the point, we never took our kids either. We sort of celebrated Chanukah (lit candles, gave small gifts to the kids) and blew off the Christmas season entirely.
I sat on Santa’s lap a few times as an older kid at church Christmas parties, along with friends. “Santa” was one of the fathers. In general, I find the whole sitting in Santa’s lap thing creepy, and I’ve never done it with my kids. Not our thing.
As a child and as an adult.
Yes, as a kid. My dad’s company had a HUGE fancy-schmancy Christmas party with a dinner and open bar for the adults and Santa giving a wrapped gift to every kid. One year my older brother bribed me to ask Santa for a set of load-levelers for his truck.
Catholic upbringing but we were/are given a long leash. I haven’t ever seen, let alone personally experienced, sitting on Santa’s lap.
I don’t remember, so maybe not. I had Xmas stockings, that sort of home Xmas eve ritual, but I don’t remember going to the mall with a list and sitting on an actor’s lap. As I recall, that seemed sort of a strange idea to me as a kid, and obviously fake; so maybe I never did it.
I just played Santa in a department store.Some of the kids were scared, some were ready with lists, and some adults sat down for various reasons like a bet with a sister.
Yes, as a child I did. Even then, I thought it was kind of dumb.