Re: [FAMSecretShield] Santa Claus News Article

[Guest guest]

The world has come a log way since

Wood sat in

Edmund Gwenn's lap in

the 1947 classic

" A Miracle on

34th Street " ... and

Darren McGavin

and

Billingsley faced a Christmas in

" A Christmas

Story " that was very similar to those I remember

being a little kid in the mid to late 1950's. And it hasn’t

all been for the good.

ly the " Santa's Helper " that is upset with parents

grabbing quick shots of their kids with " Santa " using their

cell phones, instead of shelling out cash to buy a photo pack from him,

is part of what is wrong with Christmas these days. Every one

believes they are entitled to make a buck off every one else if they get

their scam in place first... Where did " Santa's

Helpers " get the idea that they should be the sole source of

pictures kids with Santa Claus, they insist on snapping a picture of

every kid and then are pissed when the adults won't pop for a minimum of

$15.00 and more for pictures that the adult didn't ask for or want in the

first place...

There's a scene in " A Christmas Story " that

exemplifies the actions of these so-called " Santa's Helpers "

and their minions. Desperate for " an official Red Ryder

carbine-action 200-shot range model BB rifle with a compass in the

stock " , in a way that can only be understood by a prepubescent

boy and is dad (but only after some reflection) and having every adult he

talks to about it tell him that... " You'll shoot your eye

out, " Ralph decides to bypass all the middlemen and his parents

and register his wish the " Big Man " himself ... Santa...

After waiting hours in line to see Santa get pushed around by the elves

and flash going of in his face he's too dazed to tell Santa he wants the

bb-gun and he gets pushed onto the exit slide before he comes to his

senses and claws his way back up the slide and grabs Santa's boot as the

elves try to drag him back to the slide. With a death grip on

Santa's leg Ralph yells that he doesn't want the football Santa had

suggested to the stupefied boy and he really wants the " official

Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model BB rifle with a compass in

the stock. " At which point Ralph releases Santa's leg and

smiles hopefully. Then a somewhat annoyed Santa responds saying

" You'll shoot your eye out, kid. " and pushes the shocked boy

down the slide with his booted foot in Ralph's disbelieving face.

That is way too much like the way trips to visit Santa work

today...

I don't remember ever seeing a Santa that was as mercenary as that or the

" Helper " that thinks people with cell phone cameras are

stealing from him when I was little. But I do remember a " Santa's

Helper " that really knew how to fill the suit... I was at most 6-7

and my brother two weeks short of two years younger. The traffic to see

Santa was light at the time... Seeing Santa was old hat for me but my

brother was still in awe at old coot... the two of us were ushered up to

Santa's throne but instead having to perch on his knee (which was never

really comfortable and a bit dicey... I can remember once sliding off and

having my bottom bounced unexpectedly on the floor) which was the usual

drill. Is guy had a few kid sized seats off to the side where my

brother and I were seated, sort of facing the throne which had a big desk

on the other side with some thick old books on it. My folk's had told me

that most of the times when you see someone that is recognized as Santa

Claus it generally wasn't Santa but one of his helpers or elves in

disguise so I was pretty this was a " Helper " and not the

genuine article despite the unusual protocol. After asking us our

names the 'Helper " reached over to the desk and retrieved a book

that was labeled " BOYS " which he started to thumb

through as he appeared to be looking for something and finally paused and

looked up to study us briefly and thumbed through a few more pages and

looked at us again flip back to his first place in the book frowned and

looked up at us. With a somewhat threatening tone in voice said...

" You boys fight a lot, don't you? " I am told by my forks that

at that both my brother and went wide eyed, a bit pale, gulped, started

to tremble a bit and they could see and hear the wheels in my head switch

to high speed. He had us both there in his book by named in his

book... fighting, not keeping our room in order, not telling the whole

truth, not going to bed on time... you named it was in his book. The

visions of pieces of coal at least as big as each of us started to take

shape in our minds... After grilling us for what felt like hours he

started to back of and get more friendly a maybe even jolly my brother

and I was still in shock and yet to realize we might have dodged to

bullet so we were not in any condition to make an adequate evaluation on

what was happening. He asked about what we wanted for Christmas. I

apologized for even thinking about wanting most of the stuff that was on

my list. I think my brother did about the same. He said he would

try to make arrangement for a few on our most minor requests since we

hadn't tried deny or minimize our transgressions and seemed to truly

regret our mistakes. Finally after he admonished us to shape up...

not fight, keep our room in order, etc because he would be keeping an eye

on us and if we didn't do better next year he wouldn't be able to be as

lenient next time, he gave us each a candy cane patted us on the head and

sent us back to our folks in the adult waiting area. Who, unknown

to my brother and I, had watched the entire inquisition and provided

silent cues to keep Santa on the right track. When they first told

me they had been cueing Santa with details about my brother and I, it

sort of pissed me off. But looking back now that was really a great

Santa to have the props and staging to pull it off and I'm sort of glad

my folks played along to let it really seem to be magic...

Ender

Oh... by the way my mom tells me that Ralph from " A Christmas

Story " and a highly imaginative boy prone to daydreaming (named

Ralph ) featured in several late 1940's to early 1960's Warner

cartoons, including

" From A To Z-Z-Z-Z”,

" Boyhood Daze " ,

" 90

Day Wondering " ,

" Drafty Isn't It " (which might have been some of the

inspirations for Ralph in the movie) reminds her of me while I was

little. I do not really see myself, although I can empathize

with the characters. She tells me I tried to fly by jumping out a

2nd story window in my Super Man Suit (which saw a lot more wear then

just Halloween and it took a while break me from the bath towel the

replaced it) but I never tried or serious considered trying it, even

though I understand why they might have been concerned…

Ender

[Guest guest]

Sounds like a cool story and a fantastic memory to have. My

recollection of Santas when I was younger were just creepy, but I

always was scared of people dressed up as a child.

[Guest guest]

When I was very, very, very little (I was maybe 3 at the time), my

mother and grandfather took my brother and me to see the department

store Santa.

There was no photographer on hand.

There was no fee for speaking with Santa.

At the end of the visit (where, I am amused to state that I asked

for " real estate because it lasts longer " to my mother's horror and

my grandfather's delight), each little visitor to Santa was given a

little ceramic bell decoration to hang on the tree that had the

department store's logo printed on one side and a poinsettia on the

other side.

To this day (we're talking several years later here people), that

ornament is still intact (yay!).

Yes, a little nothing ornament that cost next to nothing for the

department store to have made and that was given to thousands and

thousands of children remains in my possession ... a testament to

good faith marketing on the part of the department store.

If the mall in question has no problem with the 'free' shots of

Santa, why not pay the Santa in question, make the photographs free

(as the ornaments were) and everyone will be happy.

Still, I *do* see from a retail point of view what the Santa in

question is saying. It *is* about stealing as the photographers-in-

question are aware that photos come at a cost and they are unwilling

to pay ergo their snapshots *are* indeed shoplifting.

Raven

[Guest guest]

" But looking back now that was really a great Santa to have the props

and staging to pull it off and I'm sort of glad my folks played along

to let it really seem to be magic... "

One year I began to cotton on that there mnight not be a real Santa,

and so I held my parents in suspense, not telling them what I wanted

for Christmas, saying that I had told Santa. I think when my mom

realized she'd have to go back and ask Santa, I told her what I wanted,

figuring that maybe Santa wouldn't get me everything.

I wanted to play it safe whether Santa was real or not, you see.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

AW , That is cute. I was a very gullible child and being so I had to be told there was no Santa. Not to mention that I was already about 12 or 13 when my parents told me. Also, we had a picture of my father on our roof in his red/orange hunting suit with a sack that looked like what Santa would carry and so I always told people Santa had to be real because I had a picture. I even argued the fact with one of my best friends for years when he told me that Santa was my parents. And in fact, I persuaded him there was a Santa for a short time before I learned that Santa is not quite as real as I had thought.~HKFrom: environmental1st2003 <no_reply >Subject: Re: [FAMSecretShield] Santa Claus News ArticleTo: FAMSecretSociety Date: Friday, December 19, 2008, 12:35 AM

"But looking back now that was really a great Santa to have the props

and staging to pull it off and I'm sort of glad my folks played along

to let it really seem to be magic..."

One year I began to cotton on that there mnight not be a real Santa,

and so I held my parents in suspense, not telling them what I wanted

for Christmas, saying that I had told Santa. I think when my mom

realized she'd have to go back and ask Santa, I told her what I wanted,

figuring that maybe Santa wouldn't get me everything.

I wanted to play it safe whether Santa was real or not, you see.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

But looking back now that was really a great Santa to have the props

and staging to pull it off and I'm sort of glad my folks played along

to let it really seem to be magic...

Ender

That was a great story, but I like the mild pressure to get you to not

fight and do your chores. (also props are key)