Milford chronicle., 1958-12-19
Premuturity of Sonto Claus

Around the beginning of December there
is always some talk of shooting Santa Claus
In modern times, the old gentleman, instead OF
waiting in the wings for his cue, has been
wandering on stage at an earlier and earlier
date.
Naturally, he interferes with other business
and his lines, repeated over and over again
from thousand loud speakers in a thousand
stores, tend to become wearing on the nerves
In the first three weeks of December there
fore, Santa gets good going over from mod
ern clergymen, psychologists and parents call
ed on to explain a guy who wasn't even sup
posed to appear until Christmas Eve.
This is the doing of promotion people, who
now bring Santa Claus to our notice before
the Thanksgiving turkey has finished roast
ing. Eventually, we believe, the kindly old
saint will be identified with Labor Day and
Back to School, if he does not actually move
in on the Fourth of Judy, and do his stuff in
dacrOn summer suit, with frecrackers in
his beard.
Yet now that Christmas is upon u.s. kindlier
spirit reigns. A hearty handshake and a beam
ing smile for all, we say, including our friends
in promotion everywhere. This much has to
be said. NO other character than Santa, the
Man Who Came to Thanksgiving Dinner, could
possibly wear so well over so long a time.
We do not think there is any real danger
of people confusing the religious feast of the
Birth of Christ and the secular doings OF
Santa Claus They are quite separate, even il
few who celebrate remember that Santa is
really st. Nicholas, bishop in Asia Minor
who was especially devoted 10 children and
young ladies engaged to be married, but in
need of dowries with which to set up house
keeping after a nice wedding.
Even fewer people know that Kris KringIe
actually is only an odd pronunciation OF
Christkindl, the little Christ Child But the
iliation is there.
Naturally, we are not going to defend Flor
ida Santas in red bathing suits and swimming
caps with tassel on them. Nor do we hold
any brief for the misguided producers of night
club shows who pep up Christmas by putting
the chor1nes in ermine tights and have them
kick up their heels to a be-Dop arrangement of
Jingle Bells" We have long since given up
trying to understand what goes on in the
boites de mutt we haven't frequented in 25
years.
This year TV has kind OF showed us under
with Christmas productions Of shall we say,
uneven merit Keeps US busy swapping the
dial from channel to channel looking for a
good, old-fashioned melodrdma. The fact is,
sunk in an easy chair before video screen,
we find it easy to believe that you can have
too much of the Christmas spirit before Christ
mas even dawns.
Advance hints were not wanting in the old
days, we will allow. No child could miss the
significance of the turkey hanging by its neck
from window stop on the second story, two
or three days before. And the comngs and
goings of store delivery wagons along the
block were followed closely by some of the
keenest eyes in Christendom, looking for par
cells that might hold printing presses or crates
that could contain red bicycles.
But we don't think that went on for more
than week, while nowadays we have been
hearing juke-box carols for at least a month.
Still, once more we have come through, and
the spirit of Christmas is upon u.s. We are
willing to admit that, if there was room in
the Stable for an OK, not the brightest of crea-
tures and the donkey no ball of fire either,
there may also be place for even the most
commercial Santa to wedge in, with his bogus
beard and synthetic iollity. For. after all, he
is good to children