This is for real…

SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia’s largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas’s traditional “ho ho ho” greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.

Sydney’s Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say “ha ha ha” instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.

One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use “ho ho ho” because it could frighten children and was too close to “ho”, a US slang term for prostitute.

“Gimme a break,” said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.

“We are talking about little kids who do not understand that “ho, ho, ho” has any other connotation and nor should they,” she told the Telegraph.

“Leave Santa alone.”

A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was “misleading” to say the company had banned Santa’s traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.

This is unreal.  So I was thinking… since “ho” is offensive, what are we going to call the garden tool?  Oh, I know… we will call it a “chopper”.  No… we can’t do that because a “chopper” is a name for a bike and if we kill weeds with a garden tool, people might think that those who ride a “chopper” bike will kill people.  I guess when we go to get the garden tool we should just say we are using “that tool”, no we can’t say that because “tool” is a slang word for a poser or loser.  Well… I don’t know.  If you have any suggestions let me know.  All I know is that when I see Santa Clause at the mall I hope that he is really fat and jolly and I will make sure to say “Merry Christmas” and “Ho Ho Ho”! 

Please don’t forget the reason for the season.  Jesus is the center of our life and he is all that we should focus on this season.  Don’t worry about being politically correct.  Just love Jesus and celebrate his birth.  I would love to hear what he would have to say about all of this if he were here.

May God grant you peace and lots of jolly times!  Ho Ho Ho, Merry CHRISTmas!