Dear Santa (You suck!)

reply to post by Mr Mask

Explanation: You forgot to spike the eggnog with Brandy, both kinds, you fool! (S&F btw )

See here!....

Brandy [shareyourwallpaper.com]



Brandy No#2 [esquire.com]



Next time use a double dose of Brandy OK! You Know it make sense!

Personal Disclosure: In the spirit of pre-emptive strikes... Merry Christmas to one and all and Good Will to all mankind!

Santa brings magic and wonder into a child's world. And when you are old enough to know the truth, then you marvel at the extent your parents went through to bring such magic to you. Ah, the jolly old elf who gave to all the children, what a generous and kind thing to do. Made it easy to part with all the old toys we no longer played with and could donate to the poor and be kind and generous like Santa.

reply to post by OmegaLogos


She's Hot!

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d6441538af8e.png[/atsimg]

reply to post by backinblack


It probably felt as good or better to write that than it did for me to read it.

Thank You Mr. Mask,...now i'm not the only jerk at this time of year.

I still put up the decorations and we spend.

So when I hand the gift with a name read out loud to one of my kids,i say close to their heads "your mommy worked hard for this." or uncle,or grandma,..etc.
It shure felt good to read this and i actually learned a little more.
Happy Holidays and thanks for the gift.
And thank you too ATS I have really expanded my mind this year.

reply to post by Misoir

Explanation: Starred!

And he is Not!...

fc01.deviantart.net...



www.cycleconnections.com...



www.vistax64.com...



fc02.deviantart.net...



www.collider.com...



Personal Disclosure:

Edited to add that all artwork belongs to their respective creators/owners etc

And .... to add... This to give context!

www.thecoca-colacompany.com...

As soon as I have a son I plan to sit him down on his 1st christmas and explain every single detail of why life sucks so much to him, just so I don't give him any illusions.

"Hey son, I just wanted to tell you something.

Santa doesn't exist, nor the Easter Bunny, there is no God, you will probably never be rich and will spend your entire life struggling to pay bills in a job that you hate while you see people that are more stupid then you get promoted.

One day you will meet a woman that you love and then she will dump you and run off with a French juggler, you will live out the rest of your life with someone who you can barely tolerate but that you are to scared to leave and then one day after about 70 years you will die alone in an anonymous hospital ward of cancer"

Merry Christmas

You're funny, Mr Mask.

You're funny, Mr Mask.

You're funny, Mr Mask.

reply to post by Mr Mask

Telling your kid that Santa is a hideous lie does more then damage your
child's Christmas...it makes every other parent look at you like
complete madman. I can't even begin to tell you how many adults hav
debated this with me

I don't really understand the dilemna. I don't believe that Gandalf is real, but I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings movies. Why should Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny be any different?

I see no benefit to lying to children about such things.

reply to post by backinblack

we are almost forced to spend ridiculous amounts
on presents most people probably don't need or desire

I don't understand this either. Choose how you want to live. You don't need to celebrate other people's holidays, and you're not limited to them. If you don't like christmas, don't celebrate it. If you like every third wednesday, celebrate that.

Or hey...better yet, celebrate and have fun whever you want. Don't bother waiting for artificial calendar dates to party and have a good time. You can put up ballons and buy a cake tomorrow if you want. Nobody's stopping you.

Brilliant. I have thought on this topic as well and have decided that the use of Santa as a slow lesson in symbolism works best. You don't have to lie if you recognize the image as a part of the season and calmly reiterate the reality. And, as always, you really can't hold other people responsible for their interpretations without such calm expressions...emphasis on giving (which is what he represents) is what will dissuade from not only tthe corporate aspect but the bastardized symbology of St. Nick.

Contradiction? Depends on how the expression is expressed...

The historical references are a thing for the older kids though...

Great reminder, Mask...

i dont trust a guy who only comes once a year, and thats down your chimney!

something wrong with that.

then again, jesus has only come once, and people are waiting for his second coming... talk about frustrated.

reply to post by Mr Mask


Excellent post and research, I couldn't agree with you more, thank you for taking the time to do this, you are a fantastic writer..

Originally posted by LordBucket

I don't really understand the dilemna. I don't believe that Gandalf is real, but I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings movies. Why should Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny be any different?

Because billions of dollars in merchandising and marketing have not been spent for hundreds of years mind warping the average "parent" or "family structure" to worship and serve Gandalf.

I see no benefit to lying to children about such things.

Nor do I...and it has made waves with those I care about most. Hence, the dilemma. Assuming a void exists where there is no "downside" to slandering Santa, is assuming too much in my "world".

I don't understand this either. Choose how you want to live. You don't need to celebrate other people's holidays, and you're not limited to them. If you don't like christmas, don't celebrate it. If you like every third wednesday, celebrate that.

I see...it does make sense...if you don't have kids and things are not as "messed up" as they are around this time of year for all who even "open their eyes" on any given day within a reasonable reach of Christmas.

I know before I was a father the answer was easy...I just bluntly assumed my own superiority of logic and thusly stated "no kid of mine is ever going to even HEAR of this stupid Santa".

Alas, kids get born and this "matter-of-factly" attitude becmes increasingly more insane...you have your six year old look you in the face and tell you that your are wrong about Santa because he learned in school he is real. You deal with the burden of a child's eyes glaring at you with contempt and anger as you try to rationally tell him how irrational it is to see a problem here.

Or hey...better yet, celebrate and have fun whever you want. Don't bother waiting for artificial calendar dates to party and have a good time. You can put up ballons and buy a cake tomorrow if you want. Nobody's stopping you.

Personally I worship no man made holidays what so ever and see each day of life as greater then the next. I hear you, agree with you and even salute your "point"...but accepting this as "not a dilemma" when you are living in the western world, is really not an option when you are endlessly attacked (by all sides) for insisting "a lie is a lie" and "truth must be told".

Telling your kid Santa is fake is about as easy as telling hungry sharks there is no food today, while you swim alongside them.

Mark my words there.

MM

Hey ,Ho ho ho Mr. Mask...

I'm a Pagan and i don't celebrate X-mas at my house, instead...

Me and the wife celebrate YULE..just like the old days...

It falls on the 21st this year and is called "winter solstice" to others...

No Santa...no pressure, and my kids growing up loved it...

they knew what x-mas was..but they knew it was a x-tian holiday..

not a real holiday like yule...

Yule time is a celebration of new life and time for being with family..

we give 1 gift to each other then we share a meal...

pretty simple really....

you should try it....really...

Happy Yule to you and yours...

and as a side note..go check this out..


Pagan Holidays

reply to post by Mr Mask

Because billions of dollars in merchandising and marketing have not been
spent for hundreds of years mind warping the average "parent" or "family
structure" to worship and serve Gandalf.

But if your goal is to worship and serve corporatism, you can still do that without lying to anyone. You can still buy presents and stockings and eggnog and stress over shopping and familial relations and do all the other things traditionally done for christmas.

How does the lie improve on this?

you have your six year old look you in the face and tell you that
your are wrong about Santa because he learned in school he is real.

That would be interesting. But I would tend to see it as a fantastic opportunity to develop the relationship between child and parent, while simultaneously teaching the very valuable lesson to not blindy trust in authority. Because when your six year old looks in your eyes with fire and anger, insisting that the school taught him that Santa is real...you can very simply hold him and look back into his eyes and tell him you love him and honor who he is an individualand accept that he must make his own choices...and ask him to please remember that you were not the one who told him that Santa was real.

Such an exchange could have immense returns later in life.

Telling your kid Santa is fake is about as easy as telling
hungry sharks there is no food today

Mark my words there.

My own experience is different. I have no children, but I remember very clearly when I asked my mother if Santa was real. She told me that some people believed in him, and some people didn't, but that I'd have to decide for myself. So I told her that I decided that I didn't believe in Santa, but that I still believed the Easter Bunny was real. And she said that was ok.

And we went right on celebrating christmas. And years later when I decided I didn't believe in the Easter Bunny either, we went right on celebrating Easter.

No drama or trauma involved, nobody lied, and no holidays were harmed in the process.

The role of a parent is not to mold, but to guide.

Originally posted by Mr Mask
You see...I've been making a list myself...and I've checked it more then twice.

Yea.... I've had a list for years...... and I'm still waiting for me friggin Bike!

Hey Santa Clause you punk....... were's me friggin Bike......... I've unwrapped all this other stuff and there is nothing that I like........ I give you bloody Ho Ho Ho, you forgot me friggin Bike!

Originally posted by LordBucket

But if your goal is to worship and serve corporatism, you can still do that without lying to anyone. You can still buy presents and stockings and eggnog and stress over shopping and familial relations and do all the other things traditionally done for christmas.

How does the lie improve on this?

It doesn't...plain and simple.

That would be interesting. But I would tend to see it as a fantastic opportunity to develop the relationship between child and parent, while simultaneously teaching the very valuable lesson to not blindy trust in authority. Because when your six year old looks in your eyes with fire and anger, insisting that the school taught him that Santa is real...you can very simply hold him and look back into his eyes and tell him you love him and honor who he is an individualand accept that he must make his own choices...and ask him to please remember that you were not the one who told him that Santa was real.

Please don't take this as hostile or offensive, but I'm assuming you don't have children?

Cus this kind of advice can not work, and is often the kind you get from young guys and girls with no children, who think things work in this civil "rational manner" when dealing with little ones.

My own experience is different. I have no children,

Lol...again, no offense is meant here, but I can tell.

but I remember very clearly when I asked my mother if Santa was real. She told me that some people believed in him, and some people didn't, but that I'd have to decide for myself.

Same line I give my kid about Santa and God and Ghosts and anything else in those "areas" of belief.

So I told her that I decided that I didn't believe in Santa, but that I still believed the Easter Bunny was real. And she said that was ok.

Sounds...logical? lol...kids say the damnedest things. My kid also tells me that ghosts are real because he saw "Ghost hunters" at his cousin's house...fact remains, while your mom was nice enough to "lie" to you about Santa, and the Easter Bunny (as I am doing with my son), the crrect thing to do would be to be honest...but these false idols are protected to the point where your mother and myself are forced to beat around bushes and hide the truth instead of saying-

Son...easter bunny is fake...Santa is fake...end of story...don't be stupid...its dangerous.

And we went right on celebrating christmas. And years later when I decided I didn't believe in the Easter Bunny either, we went right on celebrating Easter.

Lol...I didn't bring up my problems with easter, but I have more then a few...but we gotta wait until April before I beat the crap outta the easter bunny in a new thread.

No drama or trauma involved, nobody lied, and no holidays were harmed in the process.

Well actually...here is the deal...I try very hard to be honest and from day one have told my kid "everyone has a lie to tell, but your father will always be honest with you. You can trust me more then anyone".

He quotes that line for line actually...often. He knows I am not going to lie to him.

So when he asked is Santa real, and I reply- "some people believe in Santa, and some don't". I am not only dodging the question, but also being intentionally dishonest...and for what? A fabricated Western tradition built on greed, lies and commerce.

Its that simple.

The role of a parent is not to mold, but to guide.

Lol...sir, forgive me this, but wait until you have children before you start assuming what role a parent has. Cus really...it is your job to mold AND guide, protect AND teach, support AND challenge, feed AND dress, transport AND keep your children...

Trust me on this one...I used to say the same thing when I went around giving advice to parents as a single young man with no child of my own...once your in the driver seat of a young human's life- all that mumbo-jumbo happy-hooplah talk goes right out the window and suddenly your debating with a screaming kid, telling him-

"Ghost Hunters is a fake and a crappy show"

while he screams back-

"no way! the show is real! YOU are a LIAR! I HATE YOU!".

Like I said...logic and reason do not mash well with a six year old...pretending they do is fine up until your raising one and trying to use logic and reason to rectify a "problem" your boy is convinced on.

Again...mark my words.

MM

Originally posted by baddmove
Hey ,Ho ho ho Mr. Mask...

I'm a Pagan and i don't celebrate X-mas at my house, instead...

Me and the wife celebrate YULE..just like the old days...

It falls on the 21st this year and is called "winter solstice" to others...

No Santa...no pressure, and my kids growing up loved it...

you should try it....really...

Sounds fun and not so Santa-ee, but still is one of those "invented holidays". Picking one over the other isn't the problem really.

Like I said...its Santa...Santa is my sworn enemy and the target of my holiday thread!

I do wish you a wonderful Yule though, and hope it is filled with cheer and beer and all that good stuff!

Happy Yule to you and yours...

And the most wonderful days on earth to you and everyone!

Again, happy Yule my friend. I hope its the best one yet!

MM

reply to post by Mr Mask


Masky! My dear and true friend!

I too share your disillusionment with this corrupt, corporate, and below the belt marketing gimmick foisted upon us by Madison Avenue each and every year... this exercise is confusing charity with consumerism... This fickle and contrived heresy of kindness that leads grannies to fight, tooth and nail, for that last item on a Black Friday sale pallet or shelf.

This Holiday takes the best of our natures and distorts and twists until all that is left is that which is most base and unbecoming of our species, to be sure.

But, having said that...

This is also the only time of the year when the psychotic little band of freaks and miscreants that I refer to as "my family" somehow manage to sit in the same room for a few hours, without threats of murder or lawsuit. A chance for us all to put our collective egos aside and try to behave as humans long enough for the kids ( all of whom are now young adults and soon to start the cycle anew ) to open their presents and feign gratitude.

I mean, let's face it... My youngest nephew, now, is 15 and the DVD or book that I will buy him for Christmas this year is not going to compete with the Fender Stratocaster that I know he will be receiving Christmas morning. So I already see the fake "Thanks Uncle John" coming... But still... Once that awkward moment passes, he and I will sit down and play Guitar Hero together ( A ritual we engage in at all Holiday gatherings... it's our "thing" ) and once again he will become eternally frustrated that, for some ungodly and illogical random twist of fate, the old man just happens to be a Guitar Hero virtuoso.

For a few hours my overdue bills, my mostly broken and shattered little life, and my adult stresses and worries will fade... and I will just be happy to be playing a stupid game with a kid who nearly died at birth, and who has been a major part of my life for the last 15 years, as his mother, my baby sister, sits, watches us... her face no longer a mask of stress - a complication of her very successful and financially lucrative life.

For a few hours we will be a normal family.

And for this accidental annual gift, I can almost bring myself to overlook the evils of the fat man in red and the fact that I still remember that he failed to bring me a ten speed in 1976 - something that still makes me quite angry, even all these years later.

So, yes, Dear Virginia, screw Santa Claus... for, in reality, it's the things he is incapable of bringing us - no matter how much money we spend - which really make the Holidays matter. And THAT is something that Madison Ave can never market, package, sell, steal, or change.

S&F Mr. Mask. One of my ATS friends! Additionally, my wishes for a very memorable and warm Holiday season to the Mask brood.

~Heff