Reindeer Hoof Cuts Two Ways

... Jolly, jolly. We got Christmas Spirit, or do we? The spirit means a lot of things in common to many people, but also some peculiar things to almost all people. I don't know how sharp reindeers' hooves are, but I'm sure they'd cut two ways for Christmas spirit. Here are two examples, but I must add that I am in sympathy with both, no matter how contradictory that may seem after you read this.
... Case 1. Several years ago I read about a man hired to portray Santa Claus in the usual department store setting. In costume, he was seated in his chair. Parents brought their children and stood in line for each kid's turn to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. So far so good. As the kids spoke their wish list, Santa would occasionally comment when they asked for guns and other armaments and war memorabilia like GI Joe statuettes. He advised that good kids shouldn't want to bring violence into their play, etc. The manager got wind of this and fired him.
... Sometimes it's instructive to boil things down to their essence. In this case the man was hired to portray an actual historical figure: Nicholas of Myra, a third century Bishop and a saint. Santa Claus is the Dutch name we inherited for Saint Nicholas. So essentially the man was fired for doing what he was hired for: staying in character for a saint!
... Case 2. Fatherly love and upbringing can contradict a politically correct trend or dictum. (See this page) For years children, including my brothers and I, played cowboy and strapped on holsters and put spurs on our shoes and felt very Western. Toy pistols that completed the outfit had chambers to hold a roll of"caps," rolled paper strips with dots of gunpowder that were advanced for each shot by the trigger and gave off a blast that satisfied a little boy's heart. Sometimes we even skipped the gun part and smashed a whole roll with a big rock, for an extra nice explosion! There was little danger of burns or fire and our parents willingly bought all this stuff for us as part of a normal toy repertory.
... Fast forward to 2007 and that poor Dad in the cited web page, trying to gift his three boys with the same things he innocently enjoyed as a boy. You should read it for yourself and keep in mind not what the toys are supposed to symbolize, but rather the precious connection of fathers to sons, and the natural bond between all who are fathers.