Santa Claus displays his charm with mall visitors of all ages

Standing in a line behind mothers with oversized strollers, fathers with digital cameras, grandparents with in-the-moment smiles and little kids with lists, pictures and tears, two teenage daughters' laughter is heard over the chatter of shoppers and rattle of a train not quite chugging around the track.

Heather, 18, in a very 18-ish green sweatshirt, and Michele, 15, in a more-like-20-ish white striped top, are too many things — grown up, cool and easily embarrassed come to mind — for this, a photo op with them and Santa Claus at South Hills Village mall. And they insist as much as the distance shrinks between them and the swinging green gate that leads to the Big Bad Bearded Daddy.

Four groups from the front: “What if one of my friends is shopping and sees us?” Michele asks her mother, Lynn Wachenheimer, in an apparent attempt to call off this very public status execution.

Three and counting: “Where am I going to sit?” Heather wonders aloud.

Down to two: “You're really going to make us do this?” Michele sternly questions her mother.

And … one: “What do I say to Santa Claus?” Michele asks, literally, nobody.

Quicker than they'd like, there is nothing to do but back out or pass through the gate, and these Baldwin girls appear to make their decision based on the same line of thinking as the Little Boy Blue two groups behind.

In his words: “It's Santa Claus !”

So, Michele and Heather walk on, through the gate and up to their childhood friend and — “as they all always do” — begin spilling their guts.

Laughing all the while, of course.

“Part of my magic. That's part of the Christmas magic,” Big Red explains later, after all the lovely people have come and gone. “It doesn't matter how old you are, there is a Santa for everyone.”

He pauses, throws in a “ho! ho! ho!” for effect, mostly, and asks, “Remember Anthony?”

Oh, yes … Anthony Yanni, the 3-year-old from Washington, Pa., who last year thought Santa was, well, “scary.”

“I didn't get mad,” Santa recalls. “Santa can't get mad.” One of those grins. “Plus, I knew Anthony would be back.”

He was, and this year he's out to make up for lost time.

Handshake.

Hug.

Lap.

List.

“He's probably telling him something about construction equipment,” Big Anthony insists. “The boy loves trucks.”

Sure, but right now, he loves sitting on Santa's lap even more. A whisper into Anthony's ear — “It's our secret,” Santa says — and a wave goodbye later, and Anthony is back with Mom, Jennifer and Dad.

“You did good, buddy,” Big Anthony says. “What did Santa say?”

“Can't tell you,” Anthony responds.

Duh!

Big Anthony nods his head. “Oh, I see. Well, you did good, real good.”

“Did I cry before?” Anthony turns to Jennifer and asks.

“Well …” Jennifer begins.

Too late.

“I didn't cry last time,” Anthony says, finger-in-mouth.

“Well …” Jennifer tries.

Denied again.

“Yes I did,” Anthony remembers.

“Not this year,” Jennifer adds. “Santa didn't scare you this year.”

He doesn't scare Ethan Yaworski, of South Park, either. He does, however, leave the 2-year-old speechless.

“That happens sometimes,” Santa admits. “All these years of practice and, still, I can't get some of them — like Ethan — to talk. Maybe it's my beard.”

Long, white, well-kept — “Santa has to look good,” he jokes — and, most important, real. That is how Cody Shock, 7, knows his requests — a Nintendo 64 system and the game “Pole Sitter 2” — won't fall upon fake ears.

“He is Santa Claus; his beard is real ,” Cody offers. His brothers — Ryan, 13, and Casey, 11 — seem less convinced.

“They're too cool,” Cody guesses.

Back to Heather, who, if possible, thinks like Cody's brothers but agrees with Cody. She is crying (her eyes out, actually), but in a good way. The visit with Santa has her still laughing.

“I've got to call my boyfriend and tell him I just had my picture taken with Santa Claus ,” she begins. “I sat on his knee; it was just like when I was a little kid. Michele was nervous, though. He was nervous, too.”

Santa refutes such nonsense. “No, no, no, I was nervous for them. Two pretty, young girls like that … They probably were a little embarrassed.”

“He was nervous,” Heather says. “I could tell. His cheeks were all red.”

He is, uh, Santa Claus.

“Oh, yeah,” Heather says. “Well, I sat on his knee. I'm fearless.”

Check … twice.

“She is,” Santa says. He knows that. “But so is her sister, Michele. After a few minutes, they're all children, and they're all fearless, even if they're crying and screaming and laughing … or looking in from the outside.

“Remember” — wink — “there is a Santa for everyone.”