Asking Eric: I tried to block him, but the hugging buffet man came in sideways

Dear Eric: For Christmas my husband and I travel a few hours and stay at a hotel near our son’s family.

There is a man who works there readying the breakfast buffet. Each Christmas he gets dressed in a very festive outfit. And he mistakenly thinks that trying to bear-hug strange hotel guests coming in for breakfast is a good thing to do.

The first year he caught me totally off guard and he gave me such a bear hug, he actually hurt me.

This year, when I saw him coming, I had...