Prior to this year, Deborah had never seen the movie Elf. So, at the prompting of some of our friends and myself, she sat down to watch the Will Ferrell holiday comedy. It's hit or miss with my wife and these types of movies, but this one she found entertaining. But that is not what I wish to write about here. I wish to discuss an issue I have with the portrayal of the human services industry, and Santa's responsibility to that industry and Buddy the elf's welfare. I know it seems ridiculous to question the reality of a fantasy comedy movie that includes such things as Santa, elves, flying reindeer, and the fact that a person can travel from the North Pole to New York via way of the Candy Cane Forest completely by foot, but this one point gives me pause. While Santa is dropping off gifts at an orphanage, Buddy crawls out of his crib and into Santa's sack, only to reveal himself once they arrive back at the North Pole. Let's set aside for a moment the fact that a baby clothed only in a diaper would have died from hypothermia by the time he reached the North Pole and instead look at the elves' and Santa's reaction to finding a baby stowaway. First, they deduce that Buddy must have crawled in the sack at the orphanage. Not an orphanage, but the orphanage. That must mean one of two things. Either the entire world is serviced by just one orphanage, or Santa visits only one orphanage on Christmas Eve and ignores all others, leaving those children presentless and unloved. Are you beginning to see why I am having a problem with this? Next, while Elf doesn't show this, chaos must have ensued back at the orphanage on Christmas morning when they awoke to find a baby missing. Was the child kidnapped? Was the orphanage negligent in their care of the children? You know an investigation is going be started, people might lose their jobs and the orphanage is in danger of being shut down, leaving many children without a home. So what does Santa do? Does he show any concern for the legality of taking a baby without permission, the welfare of those back at the orphanage who might be blamed, or the well-being of the baby's health by immediately taking Buddy back or at least discussing plans to return Buddy to his rightful caregivers? No. He matter-of-factly states that Buddy will have to stay at the North Pole and that Bob Newhart can take care of him because Bob knows all about raising a human. Sounds more like Krampus, the mythological demon from Eastern European mythology who steals children, than the jolly red-coated gift giver.

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Since around Thanksgiving Deborah and I have been OD-ing on Hallmark Christmas movies. No surprise there. Recently Deb found this un-aired Saturday Night Live feature poking fun at Hallmark's "Countdown to Christmas." For anyone who watches the Hallmark Channel, this piece is hilarious and, if I'm being honest, pretty spot on.