# Bah! Humbug!



## David Baxter PhD (Dec 16, 2009)

Santa promotes unhealthy lifestyle, doctor argues
CBC News
Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Santa ought to ditch his sleigh, get walking, and give up his pipe, a public health expert argues.

In the light-hearted Christmas issue of the _British Medical Journal_, Dr. Nathan Grills, from Monash University in Australia, says the image of Jolly Old St. Nick promotes obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle, based on Grills' review of literature and websites.

"Santa only needs to affect health by 0.1 per cent to damage millions of lives," Grills said, adding it would be better if his popularity was used to promote healthy living, such as sharing carrots with his red-nosed reindeer Rudolph.

Awareness of Santa is high, with Ronald McDonald being the only fictional character more widely recognized among American school children, he found.

But the review suggested Santa is a reckless role model, who snacks on cookies, occasionally smokes cigars and doesn't wear a helmet during "extreme sports such as roof surfing and chimney jumping."

He could also be promoting drunk driving, given the tradition of leaving Santa Claus a brandy to wish him well on his travels.

*Promotes a 'sedentary' image*
The jolly gift giver also "continues to sport a rotund, sedentary image," Gillis wrote.

During the swine flu pandemic, Santa is in close contact with sniffling, coughing kids. If Santa sneezes or coughs around 10 times a day, all the children who sit on his lap may end up with H1N1 as well as their Christmas present, argues Grills.

Grills said he donned a Santa suit himself, and was turned off by the snotty nosed kids and lack of wipes or sanitizer between clients.

Grills proposed a new image for Santa: a slimmed down version on a treadmill.


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## Banned (Dec 17, 2009)

I attended a Christmas function on the weekend and we had a very slim Santa.  It just didn't work for me.  I prefer the jolly, roly-poly Santa image.

I'm especially concerned that the article implies he is fictional.  I always thought Santa was real.


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## Andy (Dec 17, 2009)

Oh good! Yet another role model type person for boys and girls to look up to and see "thin" Goes both ways. 
Geeez. 

"What do you want for Christmas little Sally?" 
"I want a treadmill just like yours!"

I'm seriously amazed that it's ok to say "Ho, Ho, Ho" still.

Is that really a tradition to leave Brandy?


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## David Baxter PhD (Dec 17, 2009)

STP said:


> Is that really a tradition to leave Brandy?



It was milk and cookies when I was a boy. Brandy was our St. Bernard.


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## Banned (Dec 17, 2009)

I only leave milk and cookies (I refuse to believe that Santa isn't real).

For reasons unbeknownst to me, they have to be Oreos.


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## Andy (Dec 17, 2009)

David Baxter said:


> Brandy was our St. Bernard.


You have no idea how funny this is to me. :teehee: 

I don't remember what we gave santa. Maybe he should have hung around my place more often and he never would have this weight issue. :think:


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## David Baxter PhD (Dec 17, 2009)

persona said:


> I only leave milk and cookies (I refuse to believe that Santa isn't real).
> 
> For reasons unbeknownst to me, they have to be Oreos.



I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be home made peanut butter cookies...


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## Banned (Dec 17, 2009)

David Baxter said:


> I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be home made peanut butter cookies...



Not according to my copy of the manual.  Besides, I don't bake.  It's Oreos or nothing.  Beggars can't be choosers.  Even if he IS Santa.


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## David Baxter PhD (Dec 17, 2009)

Don't forget... he has all the gifts. Santa giveth and Santa can taketh awayeth, verily.


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## Banned (Dec 17, 2009)

That's a good point.

Ok this year - what Santa wants, Santa gets (I have a long list).


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