Santa won't stuff a pillow under his shirt

There are more and more rumblings Santa should shed some weight. In this earlier post, the U.S. Surgeon General and The Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas are asking Santa to lose pounds. In one survey, the average Santa weighs 256 pounds.

Many Americans are outraged if you even suggest Santa should wear a smaller belt size. The jolly man's belly is as sacrosanct as the National Anthem to some Americans. I once sang a doo wop version of the National Anthem at a Chicago Bulls game with my amateur singing group. We really jazzed it up. Half the crowd booed, half cheered. It made the papers.

Now a healthy Santa from Scotland is refusing to wear a pillow under his red suit. Bill Winton, 80, said he was motivated to remove the pillow as he noticed children jumping onto his knee had become heavier over the years. When parents and kids ask him why he's so thin, Winton replies, "Santa's on a diet." Response has been positive and the mall where Winton meets the kids is firmly behind his efforts to fight the undeniable problem of rising childhood obesity. I am cheering for Winton. How about you?