The focus group loses focus

Although Santa Claus has been around in different forms for centuries, much of how we think of that Jolly Old Elf today was established in 1822 by Clement Clark Moore’s poem, “’Twas The Night Before Christmas.”
 
But what would Santa Claus be like if he was created today?  How would today’s culture shape his personality and modus operandi?
 
First, let’s consider Santa himself: an older, whiskered, rotund fellow.  This is never going to fly (so to speak). After all, ours is a society that worships youth and is obsessed with fitness. As for the facial hair, well, maybe if you’re Paul Bunyan, okay, but not for someone on whose lap we’re going to place little Dylan and Brittany. He’ll have to lose the beard, a few pounds and a lot of years.
 
And isn’t Santa just a little too much of goody two-shoes for today’s tastes?  Sure, we still want heroes, but we like them a bit less than pure. Makes them easier to relate to. So let’s give him a rough exterior, but keep the inner goodness.
 
The “ho-ho-ho” thing is okay – just pretty unimaginative.  Maybe he can come up with something more catchy and distinctive. And while we’re at it, the red suit with the fur trim seems kind of tacky. Leather is much more fashionable these days. As far as riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer all over the world, forget it. PETA would never stand for this. It’s time to get motorized.  
 
And of course, that whole coming-down-the-chimney part would have to go.  We can’t condone breaking and entering, especially given people’s fear of crime these days. Better he should just use the front door like everybody else.
 
So where does that leave us? Basically, we’ve got a young, clean-shaven, leather-jacketed, catch-phrase-spouting anti-hero who rides on a self-propelled vehicle and enters average American homes via the front door.
 
In other words, bye-bye Santa. Hello Fonzie.
 
May your holiday season this year be filled with many ... Happy Days.
 
December 2001

This was one of the holiday messages I sent out to clients during my freelancing years – and one of the essays you'll find in my 2021 compilation, "Thinking Too Hard and Rethinking Too Much: Stories and Essays from a Career in Advertising." 

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