2012-05-10

A ten-panel comic. A red-haired boy asks his father, "Daddy, does Santa Claus exist?" The father answers philosophically: "Santa is a spirit of joy and an avatar of giving." He continues across several panels: "Every time someone steps into your life to help you on your way... that's a Santa Claus." "Every time someone grants your heart's desire before you knew what it was... that's a Santa Claus." "Every time you see want in someone else and you replace it with surplus, you're a Santa Claus." The boy asks, "So Santa is real?" and the father says, "Yes. He's real in our hearts." Grinning, the boy holds up a list: "Tell him I want a new gamebox and all the games on this list." The father stares down at the list, dismayed and silent, then looks away troubled. In the final panel the now-sad boy watches his father leave and says, "Santa Claus is dead and I killed him" — the metaphor of giving has collapsed back into literal demands for stuff. The votey aftercomic: a hand-drawn speech bubble declares, "Christmas is now about Jesus," and a giant reply bubble wails, "Noooo ooooo!"