Skinny Santas??
By vokey9472
@vokey9472 (1486)
United States
November 8, 2007 7:42am CST
I was just reading the news and I read that many places are asking stores to hire slimmer santas this year to discourage childhood obesity. HELLO? Santa is supposed to be the jolly old man with a belly that shakes when he laughs. How can Santa's belly shake if he has no belly?
Also, who in their right mind really believes that a skinny Santa Claus is going to encourage children to be thin? Instead of trying to make Santa skinny, why not educate the parents on more healthy eating options? After all, it is the parents who control what foods are available to their children, not Santa Claus.
Any thoughts??
2 people like this
6 responses
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
8 Nov 07
Ah, a skinny Santa and is to prevent kids from becoming obese? Not very likely. Right now Americans both adult and children rank at the top of the world list of obesity. The only way to teach your children healthy eating habits is by example. If children are encouraged early in life to eat healthy foods they are less likely as they grow up to stuff themselves with double cheeseburgers with bacon, soda, chips and other fatty unhealthy foods. A thin Santa will not teach them that, only parents who may be in denial as to their role in the growing epidemic of obese children.
1 person likes this
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
10 Nov 07
Right on! portions are important too. Supersize makes kids super fat.
1 person likes this
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
10 Nov 07
Childhood obesity is an epidemic in America. But who is at fault? Don't blame the parents, they are just trying to do the best that they can. (that was sarcastic)
Parents are the ones to blame if their kids are overweight. Children do not have jobs and do not make the food choices for their homes, the parents do. If the parents buy nothing but junk (and I see it all the time) then the kids are going to be overweight. I couldn't understand why my son was overweight at first since I didn't buy junk and then I realized that I was letting him eat as much as he wanted when he wanted because I didn't see the food choices as bad. That was MY fault and no one else's.
A skinny Santa is not going to keep my child eating healthy foods in appropriate portions, only I can do that.
1 person likes this
@Angel4you730 (114)
• United States
9 Nov 07
Personally, I think that kids see Santa as ridiculous looking because he is so fat. I don;t think they see it as being "okay" or that they are encouraged to be a certain weight either way. Kids who believe in santa are obviously too young to even make a connection between santa being a little chunky and their own weight. Santa is fat but he is a happy man, and I think kids overlook his weight. Santa wouldn't be santa if he was a healthy weight. I mean afterall he eats cookies at every house he stops at, right? Maybe we should start leaving santa apples and Diet Coke.
1 person likes this
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
10 Nov 07
I never even thought about Santa's weight. It never occurred to me that eating cookies all night would make him gain weight. I did wonder how he did it without getting sick, but then I decided it was magic.
I always saw Santa as a grandfatherly type. You know the idealistic imagine of a grandmother and grandfather. Round, happy, loving and always thrilled to be around you. Growing up I always thought of Santa as this jolly old man who brings toys to good kids. It never dawned on me that he was fat. Same with Mrs. Claus. I just always thought of her as being in the kitchen baking cookies. Again, it never dawned on me that she was fat. They were just the happiest couple ever. How could they not be? They lived in the North Pole, knew Rudolph, ate cookies all the time and the best part ever was that they got to play with every single toy in the world.
I want my Santa fat and happy!!
1 person likes this
@TerryZ (22076)
• United States
9 Nov 07
Hi vokey I think thats totally riduculous.LOL Santa is suppose to be fat and jolly.LOL Not skinny. Because if he was skinny that just wouldnt be Santa Clause. Yes I do believe that the parents of children are responsible for their childrens eating habits. But leave Santa out of it!LOL
1 person likes this
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
10 Nov 07
Thank you. Parents need to step up and accept that if their kids are overweight, then maybe they need to look in the mirror.
1 person likes this
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
12 Nov 07
There's an episode of the Simpson's where they are watching the news and they start talking about obesity and mention Santa Claus's image as a jolly fat man. But then they go on to say in reality he would have high blood pressure and diabetes and shows an image of him flat lining in hospital.
And it is true A man who was obese could not travel the entire the world delivering gifts to every child celebrating Christmas. No one could in reality, but that's not what Santa Claus is all about it's a fantasy for children while they are still young enough to believe it and trying to use it as an educational tool ruins it for them. Imagine all the mothers trying to explain why Santa has lost weight this year...
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
10 Nov 07
Father Christmas is thin in some places. I know that when I look at pix of Santas over the years, he started out large, but later became huge. Now he's been trimming down again. I don't think we want the thin Father Christmases to replace our heavy Santa, but he was due for a diet there for a while.
And I absolutely agree that parents these days don't control their child's diet, they give in rather than hear them scream.
Which is something they should've considered BEFORE becoming parents - I did.
1 person likes this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
8 Nov 07
That is just plain silly! I can't believe that anyone would really think that skinny Santas would help solve the obesity problem. I don't know of any kid who has ever said, "I want to be Santa when I grow up" and meant it for more than the Christmas season. They move on, and Santa is forgotten until the next year. We really focus on the wrong things today. Like you said, educating parents on healthier eating options is really a better solution.
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
10 Nov 07
Exactly. I cannot begin to count how many times I have heard parents say that the schools or video games are the reason their child is overweight. I just wish more parents would step up and take responsibility for their children's weight issues. The parent buys the food, the parent buys the video game systems, the parent is the one who decides what the child eats and when. I high doubt Santa is encouraging kids to eat more. If anything, Santa is the reason why so many kids start behaving better towards the end of the year. :)
1 person likes this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
10 Nov 07
Parents don't seem to be taking much responsibility for how their kids behave now days. Of course, there are those that do, but it seems that so many don't. It almost seems that the government or society as a whole has to tell the parents what to do so they understand how to deal with their children. It's really sad.
