The Fat Man Conspiracy

Originally Posted 2/13/08

Let me just say that I realize this is not the normal thing that people think about on the day before Valentine's Day. I never claimed to be normal.
I'm thinking about Santa Claus. In most of the world, he is known as Father Christmas, and in all the pictures, he's a regular sized guy. Why is it that in America, he's a jolly fat guy?
Is it that the writer of The Night Before Christmas just thought that fat guys were more jolly? Is it the artist who created the Coca-Cola Santa? Did he somehow know that drinking Coke would make us all fat?
It's really something to think about. Not that I don't think fat guys aren't jolly. I'm just wondering-why the American Santa? Is it just a coincidence, or something more sinister...........................(the Twilight Zone music goes here).