Santa's gone to lunch

A photograph from the Daily Herald Archvie showing two children standing and looking at a sign which reads 'Santa's gone to lunch', taken by Kenneth W Green, Chester, 16 December 1965.

Everyone knows about Santa Claus... how he sweeps through the sky on a sleigh pulled by reindeer, how he manages to shin down even the narrowest, sootiest chimney with a bulging sackful of toys, how he always seems to know exactly what each child wants.

All things considered he must really be something of a superman.

But not so much a superman that he doesn't need to eat - as these two little girls discovered when they called on him at his temporary residence in a Chester store.

However, they could hardly begrudge him a few minutes' respite to get his energies back.

After all, he is going to need plenty of vitamins to get through the next few days.

And who wants to be paid a visit by a slim Santa Claus anyway?