Bad Santa

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays because I love to watch it through the eyes of children. I hate shopping, I refuse to go near a store on any Friday near Thanskgiving, and I really am not a fan of the mass commercialization of the holiday. What I love is watching a child wiggle with excitement as you make ornaments for a tree, or as you count the number of days until Christmas, or as you decorate a gingerbread house. I am fascinated to watch and listen as children discover the sights, tastes, smells, textures, and sounds that seem to exist only during Christmas. The magic that remains alive in children is the reason I love Christmas, with all of its trappings and foibles. The innocence, the wonder, the magic, the excitement, the purity of it from little eyes. So when I read that there is a growing pressure for Santa Claus to lose weight I didn't know whether to laugh or shout in frustration. Um, have we as adults lost our minds here? We are now policing the weight of a mytical being? What's next, the Teletubbies on a diet? After all, they are rather round and pudgy...and they carry televisions with them in their stomachs! I figure if Santa can still manage to fit down every chimney without getting stuck we can leave him alone. When he gets stuck, then we have an issue. But what really made me mad was the fact that we can not possibly have any "role models" for children who are anything other than incredibly skinny. Has anyone looked at society lately? More than 50% of the population is considered overweight. Statistically, that makes it normal to be pudgy, chubby, whaterve adjective you prefer. So lay off of Santa. Let him have his milk and cookies in peace. And for that matter, if him saying "Ho, Ho, Ho" offends you, you are most likely on the naughty list anyway because thou protesteth too much. Just because the world can be a cold-hard-truth place, don't ruin the magic of Christmas for those who truly celebrate it with wonder and innocence. And really, don't they have anything better to worry about? It's not like there is a war anywhere, or poverty, or anything serious happening in the world.