Is Santa Claus an Indicator of Childhood Obesity?
Is Jolly Old St. Nick Too Fat to Be Our Christmas Icon?
The "British Medical Journal" has reported the findings of Nathan J. Grills and Brendan Halyday indicate that since Santa has longed replaced the virgin Mary and baby Jesus as the most recognizable icon of Christmas, and it may not be a good thing.
Grills and Brendan contend that the jolly, rotund fictional character glorifies blubber, and more specifically, makes being overweight appealing to children.
The journal report concludes that plump old St. Nick is an antiquated figure and does not reflect the current health consciousness of the modern world. They draw a correlation between Ronald McDonald selling greasy hamburgers and French fries all year long to happy kids to Santa Claus being used in advertising to lure kids to forbidden treats.
God forbid that happens, even during Christmas!
Happy, jolly, fat - that's Santa Claus. The report was published in 2009, but once again the doomsayers, who probably avoid the treadmill at all costs, are pointing to the research and calling for St. Nick to get a makeover.
We are a health conscious family, and the size of Santa Claus has never had anything to do with the girth of our kids, or ourselves. We can take the credit or blame for what we choose to eat and how we choose to exercise. Why drag Santa Claus into it.
I have two sinewy boys, strapping young men with not an ounce of fat on their body. Guess what? When they were young they sat on a jolly, plump Santa's lap and it didn't effect their eating habits at all. Just the same, Ronald McDonald never forced our car through the drive through at McDonald's. If we chose to go, then we chose to go.
Leave a carrot or apple for Rudolph, but for goodness sake let's keep the plump old fellow happy. Leave Santa Claus some cookies and milk. I say we preserve at least one American Christmas icon.
Need we rehash Santa's weight once every twelve months. Please, find something else to research like how do reindeer really learn how to fly.
Published by Wendy Dawn
Wendy Dawn enjoys research and writing on various topics. Her areas of professional expertise include history, teaching, and fitness. Wendy's passions include health, fitness, wellness, and weight loss. She... View profile
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6 Comments
Post a CommentHear, hear! I agree with you. It is sad that they are picking on Santa. I guess we know whose going to be on Santa's naughty list ;)
Amen my friend! These so called researchers needs to get a life and quit trying to influence everyone how to live theirs. I doubt that their little poll truly establishes that "Santa has longed replaced the virgin Mary and baby Jesus as the most recognizable icon of Christmas." Perhaps they forgot to call the approx 225 million Christians that's in the USA (a Christian Nation) alone. Merry Christmas and God’s blessings to you. ℳ.ℋ.
Intriguing title and a delightful story, Wendy. Thanks. If possible, I will give the old boy all of my fat..
Very interesting, I love this... :o)
These researchers are the type in the military that we said that their parents did not give them enough attention. So instead of their parents, maybe they idolized good old St. Nick and must now be infatuated with him.God bless them with a real life,please. Great article.
Hear hear! Let the old guy continue eating cookies.