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elSicomoro · 12-12-2002, 11:31 PM

Thanks for the kind words, folks!

Please note, this was by no means an attempt to draw sympathy out of anybody, nor an attempt to feel sorry for myself or Rhoda.

The inspiration was two-fold:

--Back in the mid-80s, there used to be commercials on TV back in St. Louis for this group home for troubled kids. The place was called Boys Town of Missouri, and it's located near St. James, about an hour or so southwest of St. Louis...i.e. out in the middle of fucking nowhere. (Actually, it's in the Ozark Mountains, which is beautiful country.) From what I've heard, the place is rather successful in helping kids out.

In any case, the purpose of the commercial was to raise money (the place was run by a non-profit joint). And they used to run this one commercial that showed a kid that had just recently went to Boys Town...he's writing Santa, saying something like he's not sure if Santa will want to visit him, but here's his new address in case he does. Then comes the voiceover...Tim has not had a good life...he's been called a loser, a truant, a bad boy. Your donation to Boys Town can do blah blah blah... Then at the end of the commercial, they show Tim receiving a gift from "Santa Claus" and he's got this whole amazed grin going. It's a rather sad commercial now that I think about it, but we used to make fun of it all the time...I would taunt my brother with it (as his name is Timothy, and he was hell on wheels as a child) and tell my mom we should send him there.

So, in any case...whenever I think of that commercial, I tend to laugh...god, that's sad. And since I like using humor, why not write Santa?

--Inspiration # 2 is a bit more complex. Part of it is venting, part of it is trying to hold on to what optimism I have left, part of it is using Santa as a vehicle for God, I guess...

12-12-2002, 11:31 PM	#6
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Thanks for the kind words, folks! Please note, this was by no means an attempt to draw sympathy out of anybody, nor an attempt to feel sorry for myself or Rhoda. The inspiration was two-fold: --Back in the mid-80s, there used to be commercials on TV back in St. Louis for this group home for troubled kids. The place was called Boys Town of Missouri, and it's located near St. James, about an hour or so southwest of St. Louis...i.e. out in the middle of fucking nowhere. (Actually, it's in the Ozark Mountains, which is beautiful country.) From what I've heard, the place is rather successful in helping kids out. In any case, the purpose of the commercial was to raise money (the place was run by a non-profit joint). And they used to run this one commercial that showed a kid that had just recently went to Boys Town...he's writing Santa, saying something like he's not sure if Santa will want to visit him, but here's his new address in case he does. Then comes the voiceover...Tim has not had a good life...he's been called a loser, a truant, a bad boy. Your donation to Boys Town can do blah blah blah... Then at the end of the commercial, they show Tim receiving a gift from "Santa Claus" and he's got this whole amazed grin going. It's a rather sad commercial now that I think about it, but we used to make fun of it all the time...I would taunt my brother with it (as his name is Timothy, and he was hell on wheels as a child) and tell my mom we should send him there. So, in any case...whenever I think of that commercial, I tend to laugh...god, that's sad. And since I like using humor, why not write Santa? --Inspiration # 2 is a bit more complex. Part of it is venting, part of it is trying to hold on to what optimism I have left, part of it is using Santa as a vehicle for God, I guess... Last edited by elSicomoro; 12-13-2002 at 12:37 AM.