For your weekend reading pleasure, a sly parody of Malcolm Gladwell in the December Vanity Fair. A snippet:
He is grotesquely overweight. He is childless. He lives in the chilly and undesirable North Pole. He insists on dressing in a bright-red jumpsuit with fur trimmings. He can only ever find employment on one day a year, and, even then, it is night work.
On every accepted level, Santa Claus is a total loser. Yet this is a man who heads up a brand that commands 98 percent global recognition. Furthermore, he is universally adored.
How does he do it?
How indeed? "Gladwell" (actually Craig Brown) interviews a "santologist" and other ersatz experts to solve that mystery along with related enigmas: Why do people unwrap presents? And the biggie: Why baby Jesus?
Very festive.
Ha! I let out such a cackle. I can't wait to read the whole thing, thanks for the link.
Posted by: Tracy | November 15, 2009 at 02:23 PM