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Children make their way along the path en route to the Christ Church, where President George Washington once worshipped, for their performance in the Nativity scene of a Christmas pageant in Alexandria on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Children get into their costumes as they prepare for their performances in the Nativity section of the Christmas pageant at Christ Church in Alexandria on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Julia Lielischkies, 6, of Washington runs through rows of Christmas trees as she joins her parents on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011, in the search for a tree at a lot operated by the Gheen family for the past 35 years at Wisconsin Avenue and Edmunds Street Northwest in Washington. Between Thanksgiving Day, when the lot opens, and Christmas Eve, the last day of business, this lot sells approximately 3,000 trees. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Drew Fearson (left) of Chantilly and Christmas Set Manager George Allen (right) try to get Mr. Fearson's 2-year-old son, Tanner (second from right), and 1-year-old Reagan (second from left) to sit still and smile as they visit with Santa, played by Michael Graham, at Tysons Corner Center in Tysons Corner on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Michael Graham, who plays Santa, waves to children and shouts, "Ho, ho, ho!" at the start of his morning shift at Tysons Corner Center at Tysons Corner on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. This is Mr. Graham's 22nd year as the Santa at the mall, where, from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, he can be seen greeting children and some young adults. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Michael Graham, who plays Santa, is escorted to his chair to begin his morning shift at Tysons Corner Center in Tysons Corner on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. This is Mr. Graham's 22nd year as the Santa at the shopping center, where, from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, he can be seen greeting children and some young adults. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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People open their umbrellas under one of three Christmas wreaths on display at Union Station in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, December 6, 2011, as a steady light rain falls throughout the day. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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People open their umbrellas under one of three Christmas wreaths on display at Union Station in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, December 6, 2011, as a steady light rain falls throughout the day. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Michael Graham, who plays Santa Claus at Tysons Corner Center in Tysons Corner, tries to calm a very upset 18-month-old Thiago Heath of Falls Church on the child's first visit with Santa on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. This is Mr. Graham's 22nd year as Santa at the shopping center, where, from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, he can be seen greeting children and some young adults. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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In this photo taken with a fisheye lens and with long-time exposure, people watch the launch of the Soyuz-FG rocket booster with the Soyuz TMA-03M space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011. The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Donald Pettit, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Netherlands' astronaut Andre Kuipers. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

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North Korean defector Park Sang-hak (right) releases a balloon bearing leaflets condemning North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and his son Kim Jong-un during a demonstration against the North at the Imjingak Pavilion near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

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Not everyone is happy to visit Santa Claus the first time around. Thiago Heath, 18 months old, of Falls Church, was making his first visit to Santa at Tysons Corner Center and was having second thoughts about it. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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"That's exactly what you're supposed to do: make it look effortless." says Mike Graham, who "suits up" for his role as Santa Claus. The married father of three has made a second career out of portraying Santa for the past 22 years. He plays the jolly fellow at Tysons Corner Center. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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10th graders Miranda Browning and Jessica Curtin of Williamsburg, VA share a joke and sit on the lap of Michael Graham, who plays Santa at Tyson's Corner Center, Tyson's Corner, VA, Wednesday, December 14, 2011. This is Michael Graham's 22nd year as the Santa at Tyson's Corner Center where, from Thanksgiving to December, he can be seen greeting children and some young adults during the holiday season. (Andrew Harnik / The Washington Times)