[Bluebird Singing]

Anybody else from Chicago here reading this? I question whether extremely poor children were actually visiting Santa in the downtown Marshall Field's store. What do you think?

[ThreePuttinDude]

Being from Chicago, my parents took my sister and myself
downtown during the Christmas holidays. I never remember
seeing "poor poor children", all I ever saw were kid like
us. Wide eyed and excited about seeing Mr. Claus. Once we
even saw Mrs. Claus with him, obviously that was a big hit
with me seeing as how I can recall this after 40 years....LOL

[laredo44]

I question whether extremely poor children were actually visiting Santa in the downtown Marshall Field's store.

I was thinking the same thing myself. It just sounds like so many liberal fabrications. If a real life example to back up your "feelings" about something is unavailable, just make one up.

And what did he mean by this?

Knowing full well that these kids' parents were so poor that more than half these kids had no chance of ever seeing the gifts they asked for.

Was Asner saying that not only were there extremely poor kids in the Santa line but that more than half were? Or is he pulling an extra-slimy liberal trick juxtaposing two non-related elements in the same sentence hoping to dupe readers? That is, what the kids were asking for, e.g., a pony, they wouldn't get and implying it was the parents poverty not the impracticality of the request that was the cause?

[proud American in Canada]

"Anybody else from Chicago here reading this? I question whether extremely poor children were actually visiting Santa in the downtown Marshall Field's store. What do you think?"

I agree. I went there many times as a child. I seriously doubt people from the ghetto made Christmas expeditions to that Marshall Field's store, or any other Marshall Field's store.

In any case, I will definitely not be taking my kids to see "Elf."

[aruanan]

Anybody else from Chicago here reading this? I question whether extremely poor children were actually visiting Santa in the downtown Marshall Field's store. What do you think?

Of course they were. You go where Santa is. That was the number one Santa venue. Besides, all sorts of poor people go through moderately expensive stores like Field's. Just because someone's poor doesn't mean he doesn't like to look at nice stuff and imagine having it.