Oddly Terrifying Santa Claus Rides In Festive Parade Through Lewistown, 1948

The children of today may have their The Nightmare Before Christmas, Gremlins and Krampus but the children of yesteryear didn't need movies to be scared of Santa. Just look at the mesmerizingly grotesque mask on this jolly old St. Nick enjoying a sleigh ride down Main Street in Lewistown, 1948.

The strangest thing about the uncanny mask is that the folks who threw the parade chose not to go with a portly, white-bearded man for their Santa. Instead they chose someone (their identity remains anonymous) who looked so unlike Santa Claus that they were forced to use the world's most frightening Santa Claus mask to give him just the right flavor.  

Fortunately, the little girl next to him, perhaps one of his elves, doesn't seem frightened by his chilling visage. Indeed, she's smiling away with all the radiant Christmas joy and cheer that could possibly be mustered by someone currently sitting next to a Santa Claus whose face is in the process of melting. 

Be sure to click on the picture to zoom in, and be sure to note the striking architecture of Lewistown's famous Power Mercantile building behind the procession!