Mr Ernest Izett's letter (16 Dec 2011) suggests that we should no longer embrace the spirit of Christmas, and refrain from brainwashing little children with nursery rhymes, fairytales and other mythological stories, because it affects their mentality. He also had the audacity to suggest that Mr Claus is a mythical person.
I am making an assumption here, unqualified of course, that Ernie's childhood has long passed and perhaps chosen to overlook that 'big fat red man with a white beard” as Ernie calls him, at some time may have popped down his chimney, with a bag of goodies that would have probably included a nursery rhyme or fairy story book.
And If he cared to recall his childhood, my guess is, in the primers he sang 'Mary had a little lamb”, and the teacher reading to his class, 'Jack in the beanstalk”even perhaps playing 'Ring a Ring o' Roses”.
What next… to ensure their little minds are not corrupted, by any myth's or fantasies; Santa isn't going to impressed with replacing nursery rhymes with books like 'The Rise and Fall of a Young Turk”, by Robert Muldoon, or 'Once Were Warriors”, by Alan Duff?
May the memory of Saint Nicholas long remain.
Ho! Ho! Ho!

Brian Porter, Welcome Bay.