Words & Merriment from the City of Roses, and beyond...
Being Fit Santa maybe something I resume when I retire...?
SANTA CLAUS DOES NOT NEED TO BE FAT TO BE JOLLY!
I have been told, on occasion, that I am too thin to be Santa. "You need to get a fake belly! Santa is supposed to be fat! It is tradition," has been heard by the naysayer, who is baffled by my decision to portray a fitter Santa. Even, Mrs. Claus, in the animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, admonishes Santa for not eating: "Whoever heard of a skinny Santa?" But, does Santa really need to be fat?
Well, it is probably very fun for a child to have a fat papa, grandpa, or uncle around the house, but it is probably not that fun for these over-weight men, or their doctors. In this day and age, we are much more educated about the dangerous health effects of obesity. So, if we want to encourage the health of our loved ones, through diet and exercise, why wouldn't we want that for Santa Claus?
WHY IS SANTA FAT?
Santa has not always been fat. In virtually all of the images of an Old World Santa, Father Christmas, Victorian Santa, Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, Vintage Santa, Woodland Santa, Eastern European Santa, Odin-Claus, etc., the Santas usually appear tall, thinner, robust, fit, and strong. Never obese! Now-a-days, the popular image of Santa is more than "pleasantly plump." He appears to be tipping the scales up to 300 pds, or more. The Coca-Cola company really pushed the image of obese Santas, so much so that they are now called "Cola Santas!" This did a real disservice to the portrayal of Santa Clause. In 1823, We were told by Clement Clark Moore, in the poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas ", that Santa...
...had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
BEING AN OBESE SANTA SHORTENS LIVES!
While many Santa portrayal artists might chose to embrace their own hefty weight, or select to wear fake, padded fat-bellies, others chose to let their healthier lifestyles influence their unique Santaness. I chose to keep my weight at around 190-pounds (or less, if I am really, really good), and display my slimmer stature in costume. To all you other Santas out there that are inclined to remaining thin, I say: go ahead and embrace that in your portrayal as Santa! There is room for svelte Santas too!
With all due respect to Clement Clarke Moore, and his immortal "A Visit from Saint Nicholas," I offer this adjustment...
He has a strong face, and is solid and trim
You’ll shake when he laughs, which he does on a whim
He is svelte, and most lithe, and I think to myself
“What a rare wonder! Such a jolly old elf!
Santa Theo proudly endorses these influences!
