I SPENT a few hours in downtown Georgetown Friday trying to find a few Santas to engage in a brief chat in my attempt to find out just how they were faring since relocating from the North Pole, and whether they were being affected by the global economic downturn. After all, they were now permanent residents of good old Guyana, where they’ve been grounded, having been caught in the throes of Climate Change.
I figured this important since, traditionally, children would eagerly anticipate Christmas and Santa’s appearance, optimistic that this Good Samaritan ‘Father Christmas’ (as he was known by country-children in my time) would bring them some toy. 
In my time, you had to deserve that toy; work really hard for it, and be a good boy or girl throughout the year. In other words, Santa would assess your behaviour and determine if it merited your receiving one of his toys.

Santa entertaining toddlers at city establishments during the holidays.

And usually, if ever a child was found ‘wanting’, or not on their best behaviour, a parent, well-intentioned sibling, cousin or other playmate would admonish that child, “You’d better not behave that way, or Father Christmas (Santa Claus) won’t bring any toy for you this Christmas.” 
Whoever Santa Claus is, he must certainly be strapped with a huge financial burden to secure toys for all the children on his list.
Where previously deserving children hung up their stockings to be filled by Santa Claus, today, children, regardless of their behaviour, tend to feel Santa Claus is obliged to drop off their toy, once he passes by. And whereas in times gone by toys were small — usually story books, dolls, indoor game sets such as Chinese Checkers, Snakes and Ladders, guns, aeroplanes, motor bikes or cars — not so today. 
Today, the popular Christmas gifts for boys and girls have become so big they no longer can hold in stockings, but have to be placed under the family Christmas Tree.  Such gifts have now come to include much bigger dolls, jumbo toy trucks and a variety of motor cars operated by remote control, or even battery-operated ones in which a four-year-old child can sit and drive.
But as developing countries such as Guyana advance economically, and persons begin building bigger and more modern houses, replacing wood-fuelled ‘fireplaces’ with gas and electric cookers as well as microwave ovens, there is no longer need for chimneys.
It is documented that Santa Claus, carrying his bag of toys, entered homes through the chimney and dropped off toys.
Now, with the change of architecture, there will soon be no chimney for him to come through.
A few Guyanese parents who were happy to be relieved of the burden of buying toys for their children because they depended on Santa Claus, hurriedly held a meeting with that goodly gentleman and tried to come up with alternative ways for him to enter their homes to bring the children’s toys. 
Some suggested he enter through the window, but Santa would have none of that, asserting emphatically that he was no ‘t’ief-man’.  In the interest of security, the parents were averse to leaving their doors open to let Santa in. 
No agreement was reached after two hours of brainstorming, and a very beleaguered Santa left the meeting, scratching his head.  He was facing an impending crisis, since his list of children for toys has become very long. It was already October; Christmas was drawing near, and he was expected to reach the children with their toys.
Then someone had a wise idea: Why not involve the business sector?  A meeting was summoned at which this assemblage of entrepreneurial talent was present.   Bingo! They had the answer!  They found a way to relieve Santa Claus of what seemed a perpetual burden.   The wise men decided that henceforth, parents would, wherever possible, buy Christmas toys for their children and other loved ones.
Santa, on the other hand, would get into the business of commerce.  He was now free to partner with persons, set up nice little corners and meet and greet children with his usual “Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!” Of course, there would be lots of toys, but, under the new arrangement, children would have to pay to visit Santa, and the package would include a gift, a handshake, or the younger ones sit on his lap and be photographed with him.  Excellent idea!   It worked! And everyone was happy. 
Then one year, one Santa had a bad deal, and whatever happened, he left his place of distribution, according to him, without a lot of money, and so was reluctant to take a cab home.  “Santa decided to take a walk home,” wrote popular journalist, the late Clem David during Christmas 1995, “I had a bad deal.” After using up all the money he earned to buy food items to take home, he filled his bag, placed it on his back, and set out for home on the outskirts of Georgetown.
On the way, Santa was spotted by some dishonest fellows who thought he had toys left over and thought they’d rob him.  The men rudely confronted Santa and demanded he turn over his cash, but he had none. Manhandling him, they rummaged through his bag, but instead of finding toys, found corned beef, potatoes and other items of grocery.  Disappointed, the men left beleaguered Santa sitting at the roadside trying to ‘catch himself’, potatoes and corned beef strewn all around him.  After that day, he vowed never to walk down the streets again.
Eventually, the Santa Claus venture was taken over by a few popular stores in the city, and the corner facility progressed very well, until the global economic crisis deepened. Some opted to downplay the initiative, but others forged on. But the general comment is, that even though the Santa Claus service remains prestigious and well-conducted, not as many persons are accessing it as before.
But Friday, there was a greater shock in store for me.  To my dismay, I found out that some of the Santas in stores were not real Santas, but artificial ones, albeit they looked very real… and very impressive too!  My investigations led me to find out that since it was no longer very cost-effective to have a Santa Claus stand or sitting for hours waiting for a few persons to come to pay to have toys and a photograph, the live Santas are gradually being removed and decorative Santas are now being set up. 
In such a case, no longer would kids be able to get a fond handshake from their favourite jolly old Santa Claus, symbolically ringing his bell and shouting, “Merry
Christmas! Ho! Ho! Ho!”
To all intents and purposes, Santa is now relegated to the annals of history; passé!