Branson, MO (ContentDesk) July 7, 2006 - Santa Claus takes issue with the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas convening today in Branson, MO, and the crass, commercial, secular spectacle that Christmas has become.Santa Claus is hot! Santas Bless the Children Tour is in Branson, Missouri, this morning  the same time the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas opens its convention here.The genuine Santa Claus, his legal name, is hot, not only because of the weather in Branson, but because he takes issue with the crass, commercial, secular spectacle Christmas has become.Santa Claus is a Christian priest and monk, as St. Nicholas was, and believes Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. St. Nicholas embodied the spirit of loving and giving. He didnt sell anything.

After all, love is the greatest gift of all; and its free. The name Santa Claus is derived from the Dutch expression for St. Nicholas, who was depicted as a relatively thin man. The more recent fat, jolly look often is associated with images of overindulgence and greed, rather than with happiness.Santa Claus is losing weight on his tour throughout the United States, in order to set a good example for children and to help combat the epidemic of childhood obesity sweeping the United States. The U.S.

National Institutes of Health estimates the childhood obesity epidemic may cause the new generation of children not to outlive its parents, primarily due to the propensity for heart disease and type 2 diabetes related to obesity. The advice Santa Claus gives Santas Helpers, including those attending todays convention in Branson, is to return to the tradition of celebrating the birth of Christ and the spirit of giving and love, to give rather than sell, and to portray a wholesome and physically fit image for children.For information on Santas Bless the Children Tour, visit www.SantasLink.NET ..