Scary Santa

Hey, if you were handed over to a big stranger in an fire engine red outfit with a ruddy face, long white beard and booming voice bellowing "HO HO HO", you'd be scared, too.

I love Sad Sack Santa at 0:21 and Weepy Santa at 0:25. Hilarious.

On a related note, there's an interesting post over at Bubble by a mom who was scared of Santa Claus as a young girl. Now she refuses to perpetuate the myth and thinks that encouraging belief in Santa is tantamount to lying to kids. Her views triggered lively discussions here and here.

I don't have a problem with letting kids believe in Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy for that matter. It's just fun make believe, harmles fodder for children's imagination the way characters in their favorite story books are. Calling it lying is a bit harsh.

What I have a problem with are adults who use Santa and company to scare/bribe children into behaving. That's shoddy parenting if you ask me; it encourages children to be motivated by material rewards instead of being motivated to do the right thing.

On the other hand, I don't think believing in Santa is necessary for a child to have happy memories. I for one didn't and never felt deprived. Then again, I grew up in a tropical country where visions of him dashing through coconut trees in an airborne sleigh just doesn't make sense.

Via.

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