Thursday, December 9, 2010

What the ho? Part 2

This seasonal story is so San Francisco: the Macy’s downtown store fired its Santa after 20 years of service because “an older couple” complained about a joke he told.

That’s the PC part of the affair—that someone (apparently not there with young ‘uns; also very California) is offended, bitches and management haul out the axe. Neither Macy’s nor the pair have had any comment since the weekend when Santa was tossed from his sleigh.

I suppose the “older couple” doesn’t want word getting out that they’re the poker-sitters who got not just a store employee, but Santa Bleeding Claus, fired three weeks before Christmas.

It would be interesting to know what process Macy’s went through, too, before walking John Toomey out the door after his apparently spotless employment record of two decades—if there was any process at all besides throwing up their hands in horror at a single complaint.

But here’s the genuine, totally SF, part of the story: Toomey starts work tomorrow as the house Santa for Lefty O’Doul’s, a bar that serves food. Kids can talk to Santa while their parents toss back a couple beers or tequila shots. Really—the perfect solution for the holiday hamster wheel.

I just love the California version of the classics…


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