Holiday Santa: 'How Much for Just the Head?'

"Time to beheading home, Santa"
Robert Basler, Oddly Enough, Reuters blog (December 24, 2010)


(Reuters photos by Baz Ratner, via Oddly Enough blog, used w/o permission)

"Blog Guy, like many of your readers, I come here for news about other cultures. I'm curious about how Christmas is celebrated in Israel.

"Sure, I can tell you about Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, which…

"Not THAT Christmas! The real, commercial one. Santa Claus and reindeer and stuff.

"Oh. I'm not big on doing research, but we do have some photos from Israel this week which you may find interesting. On the left you can see the custom of 'Sleazy Santa.' They take an inflatable Santa down narrow narrow alleys in Jerusalem and pretend to peer in windows…..."

The Lemming isn't entirely convinced, regarding Mr. Basler's claim to be "not big on doing research." The "Sleasy Santa," for example, isn't a fabrication. This post includes a photograph of the phenomenon.

As for the top photo from that post, the Lemming has noted the custom of displaying Santa heads - just the head - here in central North America, too. Or, rather, mini-heads: perhaps intended to represent Santa's elves. Maybe a dozen of them in a tree, each hanging from a branch.

It's a festive sight, in its own way: perhaps the Lemming knows a bit too much of my Viking and Celtic ancestors' more colorful habits.

Anyway: That's a typical Oddly Enough blog post. Odd; informative after its own fashion; and, in the Lemming's opinion, funny. As I've said before, your experience may vary.

Almost-related posts:

• "Lemming Tracks: Christmas Cookies, Fruitcake, and Eggnog Nightmare #1"
  (December 24, 2010)
• "Vertically Challenged Persons, Four Pigs and Rudolph: Santa's a Wreck"
  (December 12, 2010)
• " '...Darling Son and That Person You Married....' "
  (December 8, 2010)
• "Not Your Usual Fluffy Christmas Rhyme"
  Loonfoot Falls Chronicle-Gazette (December 25, 2009)
• "Christmas Pudding? Certainly: Just Sign This Indemnity Form"
  (December 25, 2009)

Posts in another blog, about the Lemming and Christmas:

• "Why I Don't Go Ballistic Over Xmas"
  (December 23, 2010)
• "Three Things That Go By the Name of Christmas"
  (December 24, 2009)
• "Giving Gifts at Christmas is Good: But Get a Grip!"
  (December 22, 2009)