Ban 'fat' Santas, says Australian health expert

All fat Santas should be banned from shopping centres, as an overweight Father Christmas will send the wrong message and promote binge eating, says Dr Vincent Candrawinata, a health and wellness expert and researcher at the University of Newcastle, NSW.

He says that being overweight has nothing to do with happiness and that all entertainment venues should tell all their Santas to slim down. 

The good doctor feels that a chubby Santa will promote unhealthy eating over Christmas and that he is yet to see a skinny Santa posing for photos with kids. He also says that a fit Saint Nick should be the new norm.

For the uninitiated, Saint Nick is where the real story of Santa Claus as an entity begins from. The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick's Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas).

This particular saint was known for his generosity and kindness, which gave rise to legends of miracles he performed for the poor and unhappy. As a result of his good deeds, devotion to Nicholas extended to all parts of Europe.

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Dr Candrawinata says he wants to fight the stigma that one needs to eat a lot and overindulge to celebrate festivities and be joyful. 

But it doesn't look like all Santas are set to toe the line. According to a report in Reuters, losing weight is a big 'no,no' for the jolly, rotund character that has brought happiness to children all over the world.

In recent years, Santa has been accused of being a fraud, an interloper and even politically incorrect but now he also faces accusations of being unhealthy and a bad role model as child obesity rates soar. 

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At a British shopping centre -- Bluewater near Dartford, Kent, Santas were under pressure to get rid of the wobbling belly under the red suit and ordered to attend a month-long boot camp with exercises before greeting children.

Even the acting US Surgeon General Steven K. Galson had similar views about Santa going on a diet. He said it was important that the people who kids look up to as role models are in good shape, eating well and getting exercise.

But not everybody thinks so, as supporters of the portly lovable Santa say he is not the right person to lead a campaign against childhood obesity. After all he has boasted a wide girth for over 20 years since transforming from Saint Nicholas and a plump Father Christmas in a green robe in Britain in the 17th century into the rotund man in a red suit and white beard whose image was cemented through Coca-Cola advertisements during the 1930s.

“We have so many things to worry about in the universe besides Santa saying Merry Christmas, ‘ho ho ho’ and what Santa’s chowing down on,” said Susen Mesco, president of event planning company American Events and a frequent Mrs. Claus.