Opinion: Santa Claus goes virtual via Internet

Just as I thought I had heard every angle under the sun to profit from Christmas, news came about new schemes to get kids together with Santa Claus. According to the Wall Street Journal, parental visits to department stores for their children to talk to Santa have declined 41 percent from two years ago.

It seems lots of kids no longer are thrilled by sitting on the lap of a rotund stranger with a fake beard in a Santa suit in order to recite their gift wishes. Computer technology to the rescue.

Not surprisingly, today’s children, who are able to manipulate computers from the baby carriage, have been provided electronic means to chat with Jolly Old Saint Nick. According to the Wall Street Journal, Santa-themed Web sites are available – for a profit, of course.

Children can e-mail Santa, and for a fee, receive a “don’t be naughty” type of response either by e-mail or real letter. Again for a fee, children can join a Web site and sing Christmas songs along with a Santa karaoke, or chat with online elves.

Parents can arrange for Santa to call children to talk about Christmas: www.santaspeaking.com charges $20 for a short call, plus $10 for a CD of the conversation.

Last December, “Santa Claus” was the most popular phrase searched for on the Web. Modern technology may be changing the way children prepare for Christmas, but, I hope the wide-eyed enchantment of kids awaiting Santa to bring presents to good little boys and girls doesn’t evaporate into cyberspace.

It is hoped that even techno-savvy kids will still exhibit the childhood glee of opening presents. The joy isn’t limited to kids. To me, the best part of the Christmas celebration around the tree is watching the faces of loved ones as they open presents: an unsurpassable gift, indeed.

By the time this Rusty Saber arrives, the gift shopping frenzy will be mostly over, with shoppers searching now for after-holiday bargains in the homestretch. Perhaps it isn’t too late to make my annual pitch for the Christmas present for the man or woman who has everything. The solution: don’t give them anything.

Actually, give them cards announcing a donation in their name to a group helping the needy. It is a sad fact that America can be blessed with so much prosperity, yet some families, including children, will have no Christmas dinner or presents unless others provide it for them.

If I try to name the groups, I might inadvertently omit some worthy ones; however, you know who they are. These last-minute gifts might just provide Christmas cheer for some who otherwise would have none, or help ensure a happier new year. Your gift will make everybody happy.

As always, the coming of the Christmas season brings reports of new attempts to erase Christmas from public places.

Schools and government buildings putting up anything suggesting the birth of the Christ child is likely to come under attack. No manger scene or children singing “Silent Night” in the schools. Without doubt, the epitome of politically correct Christmas lunacy is Macy’s Department Stores’ forbidding employees to wish customers “Merry Christmas,” lest stating the very name of the holiday might offend someone.

What’s next, pressure for Congress to change the name of the legal holiday called “Christmas”? If a department store feels compelled to expunge mention of the name of the holiday, can a name change be far behind?

I will not wish Rusty Saber readers a politically correct “Happy holidays.”

To all, a very merry Christmas!

Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University.