First, it was "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and all of the silliness related to that.  We've been singing that song for 50 years, and no one got angry.  Suddenly, the man in the story is trying to rape the woman.  Really?  I think some of the people offended by that song need to find someone to stay warm with during these wintry nights.

Second, it's this story by Brian Flood and Santa Claus chatting with your kids:

WashPost gender and family issues reporter Samantha Schmidt penned the feature headlined, "Should crying children sit on Santa's lap for photos?  Here's why some parents are saying no." 

The story appeared in the Social Issues section of the paper's website.

Schmidt opened the piece by painting a picture of a two-year-old girl who was reluctant to sit on Santa's lap during a recent trip to the mall – which frustrated the toddler's mother.  Schmidt asked, "If her daughter was crying and resisting a photo on Santa's lap, should she make her go through with it?"

The reporter notes that a "photo with Santa is still a childhood rite of passage for many Americans," but some parents have "begun questioning the way the culture approaches photos with Santa amid the #MeToo movement and a national conversation over how to teach young children about consent and physical boundaries."

Okay.  Where do we start with this?  How did the nation that put a man on the Moon and defeated Nazism and Communism end up like this?

Some of my favorite memories of the season are the visits to Santa Claus.  In fact, I often share them with my sons thanks to my iPhone.

Yes, our sons often cried when they sat with Santa Claus.  It had nothing to do with anything other than a kid was a being a kid.

We are turning into a silly nation, and that's not good for a superpower.  Our enemies are watching us and can't be impressed with what they are seeing.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.