My Photo

December 2022

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
        1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31


« The Saddest Cowboys | Main | Good-bye, Andy Hardy! »

December 21, 2005

Comments

Danny, this had me laughing out loud (I hope that was your intention!). I think the strangest custom around Santa Claus is parents actually lining up at the mall to put their precious child on the lap of some fat, probably broke or drunk complete stranger simply to get a picture with this guy who the child will ask for a particular gift that he/she probably won't get anyway.(that was a long sentence, i'm out of breath)

Well, now that Coca-Cola is going with polar bears and penguins, I'm with you. Down with Santa.

Also, you're the only person I have ever heard (or read) use the word "extrinsic." Ever. I never even thought about it before. I'm only taking it on your good reputation that it is actually a word. It reminded me of the time when I realized I'd never said "malevolent" aloud.

You're mean.

Love,
your sister

I hope Santa Googles your blog and sends all your stuff my way ('cept any Andy Hardy posters: you can keep those).

Santa 4TW!

Everyone I know is turning on me because of this curmudgeonly post—especially my JEWISH family members who shouldn't be so devoted to Mr. Claus and his minions. My sister thought it reprehensible that I was implying that Santa was a pedophile. Sorry, Santa, it's just the idea of forcing our children onto the laps of countless strange men in department stores that made me worry about the thoroughness of the background checks. I'm sure most of them are upstanding citizens. Here they're all out-of-work actors who are thrilled that for once they don't have to worry about their extra weight. Is it so wrong to prefer Jesus to Santa? Where are the fundamentalists when I need them?

When I was growing up, we had stockings from Santa, but the rest of the presents came from our parents. My mother is from Estonia so the Santa hype was new to her when she came over here. When she had kids, she decided that Santa wasn't going to get all the credit for the presents she worked hard to get!

So, for us, it wasn't a big deal to find out the truth about Santa. We've continued the same way with our children, to the chagrin of the in-laws who thought we were "taking all the magic out of Christmas" (they're devout Catholics so I always thought this was a bizarre attitude).

My kids are all on the shy side, and only once did any of them ever sit on Santa's lap. We passed by Santa at the mall yesterday, and I didn't even bother to ask my six year old.

I believed in Santa until I was 10 (although my friends had tried to show me the truth) because I knew there was NO WAY IN HELL my parents would buy me that many presents. So there's an anecdote to illustrate your reason #4! I love the part about Dick Cheney being under the beard. Yikes! If I still had any love for Santa, that's all gone now. Talk about nightmares before Christmas.

Nightmares before Christmas! I loved that line from Heather. Yes indeed, Cheney, pedophile ... you "named" it! And you had me ROFL.

In fact, the point that gets me the most is this giving "stuff" to only the good children. I hate that so much. Ever since I arrived in USA 18 years ago I shudder each time I hear people saying that to children.

It seems that adults just love tricking and teasing little children with all sorts of fabricated rubbish! What bullies! Pick on someone your own size! There is enough mystery in life without our making it up for goodness sakes!

Oh dear ... now you've got me going ...

yes i think it is all crazy!
it should be called the spending season
aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
what are we teaching our children!
too much stuff!
stay out of the mall! stay home and
make cookies and duct tape wallets!!!!
....danny, i think you would look great in the suit!
heehee
xoox
m

OY...In my opinion, Santa is just a reason for commericalisation of Christmas and for overspending. This Jew agrees: Bring back Jesus! We hear him talked about all the time...may as well actually have a holiday for him. And anyway...did the word 'holiday' come from the phrase 'holy day'? There's nothing holy about Tickle-Me Elmo and X-Box 360.

Some of my Jewish friends complain that Hanukah isn't promoted enough at the stores and the like and that it's overshadowed by Christmas. Maybe it's just the elitist hipster in me, but I'm happy it's that way. I'm comfortable hiding in the dark with my little holiday without the entire world trying to take it and make it something it shouldn't be.

*sigh* I think I need some eggnog...maybe that'll get me through the season.

Oh, man, do I totally agree with you on this one. I wish my parents had never led me to believe in this so obviously fictional character.
I work in retail and, even tho it's not even Halloween yet (!), Christmas merchandise has already taken over the seasonal department. (And they have already heard my words about having to listen to Christmas music for two months until the holiday season even starts! Makes me wonder if they are secretly trying to make us hate Christmas.)
Every day I look at some of the merchandise we carry, most of it gaudy, and gag at the commercialization of one of my favorite holidays. The meaning of it seems to have been totally lost. And I'm not just talking about the Christian aspect (that's a whole other opinion that I may share with you later), I am also referring to the ORIGINAL pagan tradition.
I've found myself wondering recently how the original Santa Claus, over the years, turned into this red suit-wearing, fat, "jolly", reindeer-whipping, elfslave-driving child-stalker that we worship today. And can you tell me how his big belly could fit down a chimney? Really how scary is that anyway, that this lunatic breaks into your house once a year, eats your food, and leaves charcoal in the stockings that you hung on the fireplace to dry?
No, my children are going to learn about the REAL St. Nick, who lived in the Netherlands (is that right?) and made toys for the local children. No reindeer, no elves, no north pole, and no red suit!
I find the traditional Santa much more interesting anyway. Every year, our local mall puts on a display of different depictions of Santa throughout history and from a variety of different countries, including one I call "The Black Santa", not because of his skin tone but because of the garb he wore. He looked rather sinister actually and I don't think I'd want to accept his toys if I were a child.
But, anyway, enough of my babbling. A Mappy HalloChristmas to you! (The merging of holidays in our store right now is confusing my brain...)

The idea of a "Santa" has enabled parents to give their children gifts on one day of the year with less chance of it spoiling them. It removes the parents from the picture, in the child's mind at least, so that the sudden abundance does not inflate the child's ego. The child does not believe he has the parent wrapped around his finger. Parents also, in the old days at least, could say no to a child's requests all year long, telling the child to ask Santa. In times of plenty and comfort this effect is thrown out as parents indulge their kids all year and the children lose all humility. This though was the situation with the Jewish kids when I grew up. They were the spoiled ones who had everything. Their parents spoiled them to "buy" their kids love, especially the jewish mothers. They gave their children things, but they did so only to get something in return and many jews grew up twisted by this pulling, cloying kind of love. When "Santa" gives, the children aren't obligated to him, they are obligated to be good to other people throughout the year. Sorry you have a problem with that. Do you think it's just a coincidence that almost all the crooks on Wall Street are jewish? In a country where they make up only 3% of the population?! Do you think having a holiday which celebrates a historical event where the jews were able to keep, by trickery, tax revenues they had squeezed out of several provinces of non jews-Hannukah- is a beautiful thing?

I love SANTA and I always kid my kind of jewish husband (JINO) Jew In Name Only how
funny it is to watch some Jews during the Xmas season. They are always so defensive about Santa. They are always trying to drag him down. They are always trying to make him into something that he is not. I have seen hundreds of children happily and joyfully sit on Santa's lap. I am a preschool teacher and over the years have seen hundreds of kids willingly sit on the lap of Santa. I have even seen a Rabbi's daughter sit on the lap of Santa. Like the Rabbi said-Why not its not like our child is not going to be a fully grounded and secure Jew by a few minutes on Santa's lap.
I wish their were more people take this wonderful Rabbi's lead on the issue of Santa. I loved her potato pancakes she shared with the class, I loved the dumplings my Chinese mothers would make for the class and the shiny red envelopes they gave each preschooler on Chinese New Year. I loved the sidewalk chalk our Indian mothers gave the kids on one of their high holidays and yes I love the big fat man in the red suit. I believe in incorporating and finding love for all traditions and not trying to diminish The Christian ones. Gasp-most Americans still identify themselves with Christianity.

Santa, schmanta. He is just another excuse for spoiling kids and driving parents crazy. I never believed in the present giving fatso and my kids have always known that Santa is a story for the goyish kids.

The comments to this entry are closed.

Family

Movies