He sees you when you're sleeping... he knows when you're awake.
While Saint Nick double-checks his list ahead of Christmas Eve, people dressed like him don't always make the Nice list.
Here comes Santa Claus: How to track Santa on your computer or smartphone
Here are 9 times Santa (or least his lookalikes) made the Naughty list this year:
Deputies say a registered sex offender in Orlando posted an ad online to play Santa Claus. Robert Kendel, 48, used the name "Santa Bob" in Craigslist ads to advertise himself as a professional Santa Claus, Orange County deputies said. The ad includes a photo of himself with a child on his lap. A deputy saw the ad, arranged to meet him at a park, and arrested him as soon as the two exchanged money.
Deputies said while the job raised red flags, the job itself is not what got Kendel in trouble. Investigators say he never listed the Santa job as employment, or any online identifiers as part of his sex offender registration, which he is required to do.
More: Sex offender arrested for trying to play Santa, deputies say
Pittsburgh students reported a man wearing a Santa suit driving a white vehicle and attempted to lure them into his vehicle, according to police. Students at two separate schools reported a similar incident on the same day, but Pittsburgh police said it was unclear if the incidents were connected, WPXI reported.
More: Police investigating second attempted child luring by man wearing Santa suit
Santa yells 'Get the f*** out!' at kids
A British Santa Claus made the naughty list when a fire alarm sounded during a community event. Instead of calmly helping people get out, he reportedly panicked. One shocked dad told The Telegraph that the Santa was "disgrace," saying St. Nick burst into the room, "ripped his hat and beard off" and shouted "get the f*** out" in front of around 50 children. Event organizers later apologized, The Telegraph reported.
Organizers at a holiday event at a mall in Spokane, Washington thought it would be fun to end the evening with a "Bad Santa" meet-and-greet. For two hours, the man in the big red suit drank, swore and smoked, according to KREM. One woman claimed the Bad Santa also slapped a woman's bottom.
The tongue-in-cheek event quickly got backlash from people online who claimed the event was too inappropriate to have in view of children while the mall was still open. The organizer told KREM the event was supposed to be meant for a "PG-13 audience" but got out of hand, and has since apologized.
Apparently there is such a thing as too much Santa. Authorities made 10 arrests and issued eight city ordinance violations during the annual SantaCon pub crawl in Hoboken, New Jersey, WABC reported. Four officers needed medical attention. Police also cited people for public urination and there was overcrowding at several locations.
Two women were arrested for trashing a popular restaurant during a Santa Con pub crawl in San Francisco, KNTV reported. The event, which annually brings thousands of men and women donned in red Santa suits, has a history of drunken drama. The women were participating in the Santa Con event the day of the incident and reportedly turned themselves in after seeing video of themselves on the news.
A dad in Scotland said one Santa could have been more sensitive with his 7-year-old boy, who is disabled. He posted on social media: "As Harley entered the room in his wheelchair the first words out of Santa's mouth were, 'Oh what happened to you, [were] you in an accident?' ... 'Harley [was] then taken aback [and] answered 'No, I was born like this,' and then to our horror Santa then replies with 'Will you ever be able to walk?'"
The dad said the shopping center that hosted the Santa event apologized and would take the complaint seriously.
Police in Wisconsin arrested a 75-year-old former childcare worker and YMCA Santa for kissing a three-year-old girl on the mouth. Police then got a hold of surveillance video from the YMCA that showed the man had allegedly done this in the past to the same girl. A criminal complaint said he had played Santa at the YMCA for "a number of years," WBAY reported.
Police in Tulsa, Oklahoma are trying to find the man who walked into a Walgreen's, holding a stick and wearing a Santa hat, then held up the cashier.
Of course, there are plenty more stories of Santa doing good things for people during the holiday season. If you need a soul cleanser after those Bad Santa stories, here are some of our favorite stories where Santa made the Nice List: