Sketchy Santas: A Lighter Look at the Darker Side of St. Nick [Paperback]

Will Zweigart (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 2, 2010

Ho, ho, huh?

Who’s that excessively jolly fellow with the fake beard, shifty eyes, sweaty hands, and boozy breath? Why, it’s not just Santa but sketchy Santa! Yes, ’tis the season for awkward photos of small children posed precariously on the laps of some of the most clownish, irritable, and just plain weird-looking Santa wannabes—guys you’d give a wide berth to if you passed them on the street.

Inside this painfully hilarious collection of holiday photos, you’ll discover the pop culture history of the sketchy Santa, and how to identify sketchy Santas in shopping malls everywhere . . . making this the perfect gift for anyone who understands that "He sees you when you’re sleeping" is a deeply disturbing thought.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT

It seems that Santa may be losing control of his “personal brand.” Every December there are news stories about Santa Claus robbing a bank, getting a DUI, or violating his probation. Even worse, convicted sex offenders are sometimes found out and fired from their jobs as mall Santas. Many cities around the world host annual Santa pub crawls, where inebriated hoards dressed in red suits gather to engage in various shenanigans.

I even googled “Santa Claus Porn”—you know, just to see how deep the depravity runs—and was amazed to find more than 800,000 results. I spent hours and hours closely investigating each one of these sites (with disgust) until the library asked me to leave. Do you remember how you felt when you found out Santa Claus wasn’t real? Imagine stumbling upon a video called “Christmas in July,” where the main character’s name is July, and Santa’s wearing assless chaps.

Yet despite all this, parents still willingly line up to plop their tots in a strange man’s lap. We owe it to ourselves—nay, our children—to take a closer look at how this all started.

© 2010 Will Zweigart

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (November 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439197601
• ISBN-13: 978-1439197608
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,365,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sketchy Indeed!! November 22, 2010

By LuvLeeLaLa

Format:Paperback

This is a great stocking stuffer! The looks on the faces of some of these kids is priceless. This book should be used for Santa training programs.

1.0 out of 5 stars Hardly funny -- just a collection of 70s photos of Santas January 23, 2011

By Scott Yanoff

Format:Paperback

I got this because I read a positive review of it in the paper. This is probably a decent stocking-stuffer if you're really into Santa and desperately need something to fill a stocking. Otherwise, it's worthless. First off, there is little content beyond the pictures. The author wrote what he thought would be funny captions beneath the photos, but there's nothing more than a chuckle here and there. Oh, and beware if you think a tween or teen would like this -- there's some bawdy language in parts of it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hysterical - Great Stocking Stuffer December 24, 2010

By cowboyneok

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

All I can say is GREAT STOCKING STUFFER! The Sketchy Santas and look of shock and horror on the children's faces captured in these photos is just hilarious. Most every American has a memory tucked away of a particular Christmas in which they met their own Sketchy Santa.

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughing Tears of Christmas Joy December 13, 2010

By Johncerq3

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Good God, this book is pure comic genius! I literally laughed until I cried. Seriously...tears. The captions are priceless and the author has a knack for snide witty commentary that is dead on and catches your funny bone off guard. If you don't think this is funny you might be a communist, and in that case you should buy it for 1.3 billion of your friends. Love it!

5.0 out of 5 stars perfect little gift! November 29, 2010

By Boit

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Love the website and the book is a great way to give a chuckle to those on your list that are less web savvy.

Great price, too!