Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Smoking Santa a Bad Influence?


So, here is something that just doesn't work for me. I recently reviewed an article that discussed a newer version of the Clement C. Moore classic, "Twas the Night Before Christmas", that claims to be "Edited by Santa Claus for the Benefit of Children of the 21st Century". This version takes out the classic line "The Stump of his pipe he held in his teeth and the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath."

This line is under fire for encouraging or promoting smoking for kids and should not be in a children's story. Please don't get me wrong, I am against children smoking by all means, but this is a classic Christmas story that I, as well as many parents, read to their children during the Christmas season with great excitement and joy. When I read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to my kids there is a timeless feel in the air and it's a memorable moment in their lives.

If taking someone's work and altering it due to a assumption is permitted, then should we trim down Santa to make him more fit and not a larger man? I have not heard of any kids say they started smoking because Santa Claus does.

Here is a link to the book if you would like to read more reviews and feel free to comment on how you feel about this as well....


Twas The Night Before Christmas:
Edited by Santa Claus for the Benefit of Children of the 21st Century

1 comments:

Jess Hanna said...

Great post Drew! I am pretty sure no child was influenced into smoking by Santa Claus and his pipe. The image of Santa and his pipe actually make me think of him as even more charming and wise.