It’s never a good time to be irrationally terrified of something – but December is certainly a bad month to have a phobia of Santa Claus.

At this time of year, when Garry Hollidge knows he is bound to start seeing Santa-themed decorations, he starts panicking and feels his anxiety ‘skyrocketing’.

The 47-year-old isn’t so bothered about anyone dressed up as the beloved figure, just the moving ornaments.

He said: ‘It’s the little weird dancing figures that freak me out, as they are really creepy and it’s the way they move that’s horrible – I can’t bear it.

‘As soon as the little Santa starts jiggling, I start to break out in a cold sweat and it’s terrible, as it runs down my back, around my neck and my palms go really clammy.’

Garry, from Whitstable in Kent, remembers discovering his ‘bizarre’ phobia at around seven years old.

His parents tried to help him conquer his fear and bought one to decorate their own home with – but this only intensified Garry’s feelings about it.

‘I think they thought it was funny and it would help me, but it just made matters 10 times worse as the years went on,’ he said.

Garry would usually go shopping with his mum as a child but couldn’t face it over the festive season.

‘If I had to go with her, I’d sit and wait in the car for her to return,’ he said.

‘It was a tricky time at school, as my friends constantly asked me to go over to their house and their mums would invite me to dinner.

‘I’d had to find out if they had a dancing Santa and if they did, I would make up any excuse and arrange to see them outside instead.

‘I kept my secret safe, so kids at school never knew and luckily, I wasn’t bullied.’

Now, as an adult, Garry has banned his family from displaying any dancing Santas.

He said: ‘It’s not enjoyable as they can appear anywhere and at any time, it’s such a nightmare.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article