LogFAQs > #913770830

ParanoidObsessive posted...

I thought of this years ago. Coal is actually a valuable resource, and for most of human history getting coal to burn would be considered a good thing. So when and how did it become the archetypal "bad" thing that Santa gives to bad people?

Santa comes down the chimney and lands in the fireplace. If there is a bad kid, then all he has to do is reach down in the fireplace to get a piece of coal to put in the kid's stocking.

Coal being a valuable resource won't matter to a kid. Kids don't care about value. Kids don't want clothes and and stuff like that which has value. They want toys and candy and games. Also, quantity matters to most kids more than quality. Ten cheap gifts is going to be better to most kids than one really expensive gift.