With Thanksgiving just over a week away, the holiday season is nearly upon us. However, glad tidings appear to be in short supply at the North Pole. Representatives for Santa Claus and the worlds toy stores remain at an impasse after the latest round of contract negotiations.

If no agreement is reached, the delivery of toys to the worlds youth could be in serious jeopardy. Santa Claus expressed his appreciation for the children, but added that he has the right to demand what he feels he is worth. Furious that the toy stores offered him the same salary as the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus fumed, What a joke! Kris Kringle does ten times the work as the Easter Bunny. So Kris Kringles gotta do whats right for Kris Kringle!

The toy stores counter that due to the expansion of online shopping, Santa Claus is not producing at the levels he once was. Nobody appreciates what Santa has done more than we do, commented Ebeneezer Grinch, counsel for the toy stores. Hes an international treasure, and at his peak he was something to behold. But hes clearly past his prime, and UPS and FedEx are doing lots of his work now. From an economic standpoint, paying him exorbitant dollars makes no sense.

The relationship between Santa Claus and the toy stores has become increasingly contentious this year. First, the stores angered Santa by insisting on a dress code that would have outlawed his classic red suit and black boots. They relented after Santa Claus repeatedly objected, No one makes SC wear a tie! The stores opted not to push a similar policy outlawing facial hair.

What particularly irked Santa was the toy stores support of star reindeer Rudolph in his feud with St. Nick. The stores publicly denounced Santas statement that his team would be more successful if Brett Favre were leading the sleigh. Press conference rantings by Santas agent Drew Rosenhaus only exacerbated the acrimony.

The stores were also less than supportive as media rumors swirled about Santas physique. His lighter appearance this season coincided with the first year of the toy stores new drug testing procedures. While speculation raged about performance-enhancing substances, Santa Claus insisted that he ingested nothing stronger than milk and cookies left by excited children. His weight loss, he claimed, resulted from spinning classes at the new Golds Gym on the North Pole.

This issue only adds to the developments that have downgraded the once-beloved icons public image. Feminists have long condemned Santas trademark phrase, Ho Ho Ho, insisting that his generations of service give him no right to treat women as objects. St. Nick also enraged Arizona residents when he threatened to boycott the state during his infamous We talkin bout CACTUS! rant.

Time is running out for Santa Claus and the toy stores to come to an agreement. If they fail to reach common ground, its the children who will suffer. If that happens, the kids will forget the true meaning of Christmas, instead viewing the sacred holiday as a mere celebration of the Messiahs birth. And that will truly be sad.