Keep Santa Fat?

i believe santa to a child is more of a moral icon. Santa gives kids incentive to be "good" all year long. I don't remember thinking of santa when i was ten and thinking "man, i need to eat more, be more like santa"... just seems foolish. i dont believe that a holiday icon is going to make a child fat, i believe what said icon EATS will be more of an influence. what child do you know can say no to their favorite cookie??

I remember when "Bart Simpson" was a popular character with kids. Parents were worried that he set a bad behavior example. In an interview, one child said,"He's a cartoon, we know the difference!" I think it's the same with Santa! They know the difference.

Santa doesn't make kids eat cookies or anything else - parents provide them. Santa isn't making kids fat!

Oh goodness, how stupid can the "war on obesity" get? Meme Roth has her heart in the right place, I'm sure, but she's done her best to alienate people with her utterly ridiculous rants. There are real health problems in the world!

Personally my parents decided not to do santa with my brother and I when I was growing up. We never felt like we didn't get presents or were left out. We just knew where all our presents were and it didn't put a false hope in our minds that if we told santa what we wanted we would get it. If mommy and daddy couldn't afford it we knew it and we would ask for something else. I see a lot of kids get disappointed because they think that even if its really expensive santa will get it for them when their parents can't afford it. Not only that but then when they find out santa isn't real its devastating. If parents are going to decide to implement santa with their kids they need to make sure they understand everything, including nutritionaly.

i really doubt kids look up to santa as a role model. this is like saying kids look up to the tooth fairy and the easter bunny as role models too. i've never heard of kids saying "i want to be just like (insert name of mythical holiday icon here) when i grow up!" kids aren't as gullible and simple-minded as we think they are.

Gosh, what's this world coming to? It's "politically incorrect to say "Merry Christmas," and now Santa's a bad example because he eats cookies and milk? Keep Santa the chubby jolly man I've always known him as.

This is stupid. Lets blame anyone else but ourselves for being fat slobs!

Meme Roth is a whackjob.

KEEP SANTA FAT!!!!

Never teh Bride said:
Oh goodness, how stupid can the "war on obesity" get? Meme Roth has her heart in the right place, I'm sure, but she's done her best to alienate people with her utterly ridiculous rants. There are real health problems in the world![...]

Her heart is not in the right place. Her head is in the wrong place-up her........

What a commie.

I want to send that woman a Christmas card with the bif jolly man on it, and a box of cookies. :)

Oh geez. Why not worry about people who don't have decent grocery stores in their neighborhood, or kids who don't have safe places to play and exercise than a once-a-year cartoon character?

I don't think too many kids want to grow up to be Santa. But if it's acceptable for him to be a tub of lard, then perhaps it's acceptable for others too.

And he's portrayed as having so much fun. All jolly and "ho ho ho". So there's the message that fat people are ridiculously buoyant, and not just when they're swimming.

But I guess Santa would have to be fat, he's such a neutered figure. Probably chemical, from all the estrogen that his lard generates.

Anyways, Santa plays largely in the consciousness of billions world-wide, for one month of twelve each year. Don't tell me that doesn't have some sort of impact, because it must.

And don't tell me that Santa is equivocally fat. Or that this is "revisionism".

Santa was originally thin. Fat Santa was the revision! Coca-Cola created the fat Santa back in the 1930's, before which he was skinny.

Look here:
http://www.alternet.org/story/2478

What a coincidence, then, that Coca-Cola has been a leader in fat America as well as fat Santa. Now is this a heritage you want to embrace?

I'm all for a thin Santa. Keep the myth, ditch the marketing of a soft drink company. Win-win.

bijou said:
i really doubt kids look up to santa as a role model. this is like saying kids look up to the tooth fairy and the easter bunny as role models too. i've never heard of kids saying "i want to be just like (insert name of mythical holiday icon here) when i grow up!" kids aren't as gullible and simple-minded as we think they are.[...]

seriously. i have a nine year old brother and although he knows santa doesn't exist now, when he did believe in him years ago he did not idolise him or aspire to be him in any way, shape or form. that includes getting fat.

kids merely get happy and excited more at what santa supposedly represents than the figure itself. also, keep in mind, this character is only really present at one time in the year anyway so he's not even in children's minds long enough to have that much of an "influence".

What a bunch of nonsense. The Politically Correct crowd is really scraping the bottom of the barrel with this. Santa is fat deal with it. Parents make fat children not Santa!

Good grief. Leave Santa alone. The greatest threat to this country's health is the obsessive-compulsive desire to force everyone into the same mold.

That is idiotic. Back when I was a kid, I don't ever really remember thinking of Santa as being fat; he was a nice guy and that was about it. Besides, by the time that kids stop believing in Santa Claus, I think the majority of them are still being fed primarily by the meals their parents have decided upon. So if kids are becoming fat, it's still a lot the fault of the parents, not a mythical fat man. Geez people, get a grip! I'm all for good advertising to kids, but Santa was fat for years before kids started becoming obese.

I have to agree with all of the commenters here. What is the problem with having a chubby, jolly Santa. My wife and I try our best not to let our kids have body image issues at 4 and 7 years old but tell them that it is important to eat well and to get exercise (it is really easy for kids to not get exercise these days).

I bristle at the thought of my kids asking about the health issues that Santa is going to face because of his round belly.

Santa is supposed to be about believing and the excitement when it comes to the kiddies and not about weight and health issues.

I found my new santa cookie!!
https://www.sumocookies.com/index.cfm
Don't say I'm not doing my part :-)

I read Twas The Night Before Christmas many times in my life and... actually he was a drawf... Ah, who cares! Let people belive what they want to belive. Even though I belive that the anti-fat mentality has gone to far, I wouldn't throw buckets of lard at the ones who do. If I want a Santa, I'll look for one who fits my vision, thank you verry much.
Now abought the anti-Ho Ho Ho-ers, huh-boy...

Its just tradition! He needs to be festively plump to make that huge trip ;)
I am sorry but what kid is going to want to cuddle a boney old man with a white beard and red suit? That kind of describes my local hobbo he he he
There is no way that Santa is influencing kids to be obese....it the department stores that do that.

We were talking about this in school today. We are writing papers about a controversial issue. I am choosing this one. I love the comments -- its going to make writing my paper easier. Keep the comments coming!!!

what balls

i wish people would give their children some credit. no kid looks at santa as a role model for acceptable levels of health.

personally i think overweight parents are a much bigger influence on some bearded guy who is rarely seen but for 2 months of the year when he's plastered everywhere.

next someone will complain about the figures of emaciated Jesus pinned to crucifixs ---
ANOREXIA!!!! HE'S PROMOTING ANOREXIA!!!! GAHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Santa should be fat he is big and jolly.
He's not a roll motal he is a joy giver.
There is nothing wrong with being fat.

I believe thin Santa looks sickly. His red velvet suit is symbol of royalty, so why let him stroll around in a famelic frame? And today's jolly figure is much better than the ascetic before-Coca-Cola St-Nicolaus. It encourages joy and happiness, like a laughing Buddha.

What if Santa Claus has a glandular problem? I know several persons who couldn't get thin even by exercising and eating well. And Santa is exercising, sliding down chimneys with a bagful of gifts all Christmas night and chopping wood for his wood stove the rest of the year. Don't forget he takes care of his reindeers all year long.

Besides, who tells you he eats all his cookies himself in a single night? Cookies are easy to store and to give. Santa may only drink the milk and keep the cookies for the visit and the occasional dessert.

Besides, it's a good idea to make him exercice in front of children. This year, in a San Salvador mall, I saw a Santa dancing with children and a pair of elves who must have boosted the men's participation. Santa can shake his bon bon very nicely, why not make him dance with american kids? That would set up a good example.

And please, PLEASE don't give Santa carrots. Those are for the reindeers.

i think you should keep santa fat because children think of santa as a fat person rather than a skinny person, because they love to give cookies to santa and milk, so he can drink and eat while he's on his christams rounds.Santa brings to much joy to kids when he's fat, and if he gets turned skinny, kids may no think its santa claus, saint nicholas etc.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!
From Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana