Santa

Junk mail pushed through the letterbox this morning announced that, for £5 it would be possible to visit Santa's Grotto. Mercenary people would appoint someone wearing a red costume with a large buckle, black boots and a white beard to dispense mass-produced toys to children of this area.

When I was a child Santa Claus was a magical figure. Part of the magic was that he travelled on his reindeer-drawn sleigh to bring presents to children on only one day of the year, Christmas Eve. The rest of the time he spent in his igloo in the North Pole making toys for all the children of the world. This Santa made toys for children because he loved them. He only came down the chimney when they were asleep; so they never saw him. They had to imagine what he looked like. Then someone produced Christmas cards with the vulgar image of the Santa with which we are all familiar and that was the beginning of the end of the magic.