Sadly, I have it on reliable authority to report that Santa is going through tough times that might benefit from sharing some Christmas cheer with him.
He's really concerned that supply chain problems are delaying deliveries of some toy parts needed to fill many gift orders, as inflation has driven material costs up the chimney.
Although many toys once produced in-house have had to be outsourced to foreign manufacturers, Santa emphatically refuses to cut costs by importing battery-powered electronic gadgets that rely on cobalt and lithium mined by child labor in Congo, or any products that rely on Chinese forced labor Uyghur camps.
Environmental regulations have contributed to sky high transportation costs. Santa worries that a proposed EPA methane emission tax on Rudolph, Dasher, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen will force him to forego rooftop deliveries altogether.
On top of all this, labor shortages have driven wage expenses over the roof as well ... even elves, it seems, only work for free in children's story books.
COVID social distancing requirements have been particularly hard on Santa. It's especially dangerous during shopping mall gigs where youngsters line up to sit in his lap and breathe gift requests into his face. Needless to say, his age and weight present obvious risk factors.
Most depressing are unfair accusations that Santa is just another "old white guy" exploiting Christmas for crass commercial purposes. They are ignorant of his long history of charity work making children and needy families happy, spreading a special spirit of sharing, irrespective of race, or ethnicity.
Accounts of Santa's legendary generosity and kindness date back to stories about his life as a Turkish monk sometime around 280 A.D. traveling throughout the countryside to give away his inherited family wealth to help those in need.
Nicholas, who became a Bishop of Myra — and later, a sainted figure — was a strong champion of freedom and proponent of gender rights. Among many stories is a time when he provided dowries for three sisters so that they could be married to prevent them from having to be sold by their impoverished father into prostitution or slavery.
Old St. Nick also reportedly knows a lot about evils of prejudice. Although little about his historical background is officially recorded, it is believed he was likely imprisoned and tortured during the persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Diocletian, later released under the rule of Constantine the Great.
Although St. Nicholas' incarnated transformation from shaved-headed pious religious cleric to jolly bearded fat fellow is certainly dramatic, his caring spirit of goodwill lives in the hearts and magic seasonal wonderment of children of all races in many places around the world.
In Egypt, Palestine, and many English-speaking countries, Santa is known as Father Christmas, in Russia he is Father Frost who travels with his female companion Snow Maiden, and in China his name Dun Che Lao Ren translates to old Christmas man.
In America we have come to know Santa both as Santa Claus ("Sinterklaas" in Dutch shortened from "Sint Nikolaas"), and as Kris Kringle ("Kristkindl" in German, meaning "Christ Child").
In many cultures, the special time of giving and gratitude honoring Christ's birth — also marking the winter solstice — is enriched by decorating fir trees with ribbons, garlands, and lighted candles, a tradition which began in 16th century Germany celebrating the eternal light of God's love, warmth of family, and spiritual enlightened that comes from sharing of life's gifts.
Incarnations dating back to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children, demonstrate that Santa cares very deeply about instilling high moral values in youngsters.
There's little wonder then, that above all, he's reportedly very saddened and alarmed about what is currently happening in America with repugnant indoctrination of young hearts and minds with a critical race theory (or "CRT") that treats skin color as divisive victim-oppressor categories rather than as enriching hues in the infinite spectrum of God's light and love.
CRT is the anthesis of the true American heritage, a false, toxic, and cruel ideology that portrays our country as irredeemably racist ... one where children of predominantly white pigmentation are prompted to believe they irrevocably carry a sinful stain forever rooted in plantation slavery of the pre-Civil War South.
Santa has witnessed the social and economic carnage of such divide and control group class conflict promoted by Karl Marx before, in combination with a strategic goal attributed to Vladimir Lenin which urged: "Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted."
St. Nick, who keeps watch over who's been naughty and nice, is reportedly deeply disturbed to witness this ideological Marxist-Leninist virus again being infectiously spread throughout our nation's K-12 schools, a country that fought a terribly painful Civil War to end slavery — a united nation founded and grounded on principles of freedom and equal justice for all.
More fortunately, there are very positive signs that citizens nationwide are belatedly awakening to confront this virulent attack on childhood innocence.
Virginia voters turned the formerly blue state bright Christmas red in the recent gubernatorial election after outraged Loudoun County parents fiercely confronted CRT, along with anti-patriotic and inappropriately age-and-sexually-explicit materials being taught in the Commonwealth's K-12 public schools.
Children of all ages who write to Santa this year might perhaps consider including an encouraging reminder that America remains the least racist, most inclusively diverse land of equal opportunity in the history of civilization.
Yes Santa, there really is a Virginia in most of us.
Larry Bell is an endowed professor of space architecture at the University of Houston where he founded Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture and the graduate space architecture program. His latest of 11 books, "Beyond Flagpoles and Footprints: Pioneering the Space Frontier" co-authored with Buzz Aldrin (2021), is available on Amazon along with all others. Read Larry Bell's Reports — More Here.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.