When most think of holiday cheer, there is usually one notable figure appearing in people’s mind; Pagan god, Oden. However, there is a good portion of individuals who will mentally illustrate Santa Claus. His flamboyant personality accompanied by his boisterous belly and crafty magic give people the perception he is a gracious giver. He’s someone we turn to for jolly nights and the season of the Winter Solstice ensures we never stop thinking about him.

His omniscient power to see what we are doing at all times shows him who is nice and who is naughty. The nice children get presents of their most sought-after desire and the naughty kids are given such decomposed flesh it is essentially a mineral. He doesn’t skip this task of his life and dutifully checks his list twice. This dedication toward gift-giving is why we continue to leave out cookies and milk for him during his long journey. This sacrifice isn’t gratuitous and doesn’t hurt others. Despite this moment of sharing, it’s still not the only fixation quenching his hunger.

He feeds on detrimental and damaging personal musings, and the holidays are rife with these reflections. The redness he is known for isn’t because it’s the color of Christmas or his love for peppermint schnapps but from constant blasts of ichor staining his uniform. This is a side many people try to push out of their thinking, but this ghoul possesses a murderous addiction for the lonely, impulsive, habituated, abused, and depressed. Many think his alternate twin is the reason for the sudden spike in deaths during the winter days but the Krampus doesn’t handle these kinds of intrusions. He doesn’t dare deal with the incarnations of mental incapacitation. Nothing is satisfying about punishing someone who is already being bullied by their perception of themselves.

Santa Claus loves these miserable blood bags, though.

For instance, cities with new settlers normally venture outside to meet new people and investigate the coolest landmarks to visit. But, doing these activities alone can make someone feel even worse since they don’t want to be the guy interrupting others’ conversations or be the person who is so overly confident in themselves that they become intolerable. This is why people normally chat each other up in bars.

Obviously, having a little sniff of “energy powder” or “the flower of relaxation” can initiate a powerful discourse between you and your potential allies. But, you don’t want to become addicted to them. The impulsive decision-making and thoughts associated with use and withdrawal are a bad concoction for the merry deity of benevolence to give you a one-time visit. You start contemplating how certain actions feel and if you are truly loving how your life is going.

You might also start to feel even more despondent because you need something to help you have fun. You will wake up the next day not remembering anything from the previous night but still claim you had fun. You even start to make friends with the same kinds of individuals wanting a boost in fun, despite wanting to stop your nightly injection of euphoria. But, when you are the only one of your habitual compatriots to get sober, you begin to feel even worse.

You don’t go to the same events and they start disappearing from your social group. They start to focus more on their partying but our bodies can only take so much enjoyment before their departure becomes permanent. It’s a grave feeling seeing all of your close comrades expire because of their dependency. Sure, it’s hard to stop doing something your body feels like it needs but you won’t be as defenseless when the obese man of gifts comes knocking. You may not be able to stop thinking about what it was like before sobriety but the return of fixes may be your last. Even one puff can push you down the abyss to nowhere.

Nonetheless, the death of a peer is incredibly debilitating since it’s shining a bright light on an incredibly sobering revelation. The only promise in life is death. It doesn’t matter what you do or who you are, you will perish. This epiphany can bring out feelings of dread and cause relapse but you need to fight it off so you can see what the rest of your journey has to offer.

There are many wonders you can enjoy. Watching the first steps of your child. Laughing all night with a stranger you will never see again. Exploring an abandoned town filled with minor remnants of what it used to be. Beating a yellow light. You are going to experience a plethora of new emotions as you become more experienced in this journey called existence.

Despite this, you must digest that life is filled with bleak discoveries, such as grasping the finality of your mother and father’s time on this Earth. Family is one of the few people who love you unconditionally and losing them means you truly have no one to love you with all of their heart. You will be placed in environments you will have to deal with alone and may not know what to do. You won’t have someone you can talk about what your day was like who truly cares. You can watch old videos of what you’ve done in the past. There is the food you ate reminding you of who they were. There are even the little intricacies they did when celebrating the holidays. But, this doesn’t change the fact they’ll never be back. They’re just gone.

Santa sees this loneliness and uses his magic to drain your emotions even further. This isolation will be heightened and increase your exhaustion for life. He will implant ideas of participating in the long nap so you can see them again but you shouldn’t let these ideas become physical manifestations. Don’t fall for his wily tricks. These emotions are temporary and, eventually, you will grow to live with them. Unfortunately, this complication isn’t the only trigger you may have to fight off.

For many people, age is just another factor causing pain. You start to see how bleak humankind and most of society is. People regularly murder others for who they are. Children aren’t taught how to handle their mental instabilities, causing them to lash out in destructive manners. Governments don’t care about their citizens and push them toward a life of poverty.

You, the reader, are probably one of many forced to work such a tight schedule you can’t yield enough time to evaluate aspects of your life needing improvement. You’re stuck in an endless loop of waking up, skipping breakfast, going to work, working, working, working, working, leaving work, eating dinner, and falling asleep—repeating this schedule day after day after day. You just keep living this life since there is no wiggle room for you to assess the true meaning of your existence. There is no chance of escape. There is only this infinite paradigm of meaninglessness.

And, despite working 50 hours a week, you still don’t have the financial capability to go on vacations or trips. You might want to leave your city to visit your friends and family for the holiday but don’t have the currency to afford a trip. You start questioning if you are ever going to be able to break this mold. You’ll go down a mental spiral where capitalism is the real problem, but don’t have the power to change this system we’ve ingrained into our very being. You probably don’t even have enough money for a streetwalker who lives on Skid Row and it’s starting to take its toll.

Santa understands this. He creeps in through the chimney, HVAC, or trash fire, and initiates his plan. He slowly uploads more aggressive opinions into your brain until you can’t think of anything except for these problematic notions. It doesn’t help that he has assisted others in acting out these permanent solutions.

He came in when they were taking a bath and marked their wrists with outdated language.

He applied a sleeping spell while they were sitting in their car as the garage doors insulated the room.

He tied a rope around a sturdy part of the ceiling and looped it around their neck.

He “turned” their medication into Tic Tacs and made them believe their breath was more abhorrent than a body decomposing for several months.

Santa’s PR has taught everyone he only wants to spread happiness and the desire to help those who are less fortunate. This is somewhat true. He does want to spread his ideology and he doesn’t care how old you are. He wants more people to think of him. He wants everyone to know what it means to be truly happy. This way, when you aren’t achieving this goal, you start to look badly upon who you are. You start to question what you did to deserve being solo during the season of memory-making. All it takes is for one idea to be implanted and you will start to crash into a pit of despair; one of the most impressionable states to be in. If you are in a fragile state, then you are opening yourself up to his onslaughts of cessation.

Despite men being the primary targets, women and children are also sensitive to his mental raids. Everyone is game when it comes to cosmic nourishment. There is no reason he should segregate mortals for their gender, orientation, age, or heritage. He takes all to the kingdom of obscurity.

There is little one can do to stop him once he sinks his claws in someone’s brain. It doesn’t mean someone is finished when Santa Claus gets going, though. To make this wrinkly idol stop his massacre, you’ll need to strengthen your mental will. Teach yourself or loved ones to value themselves and empower what they have going for them.

You might think they are temporarily down and believe it’s normal for them to possess these thoughts of expiration but it isn’t. They shouldn’t be wondering how life would be if they disappeared. They shouldn’t be going days without eating or drinking water; only consuming alcohol. They shouldn’t harm themselves so they can finally feel something outside of a foreboding dissipation. A sudden change in generosity where they give everything away may seem like they are moving forward but it’s just Santa making them emulate his “hospitality”. They don’t plan on staying on this planet for much longer so why keep their earthly possessions?

This apathy toward their goods and exuberance shouldn’t be a sensation people have nor want. It doesn’t matter if you have lost a loved one, been sent to jail, experienced something truly horrifying, and/or been forced to stay in an abusive relationship, you should try to live your life as long as you can. Despite how devastating and demoralizing these situations are, being alive is, ultimately, wonderful and filled with fleeting moments of jubilation. Santa wants you to feel dead inside cause it will be easier to convince you your external framing should match.

If you notice a loved one suddenly withdrawing from your friend group, society, and the world, then this cherubin of nausea is gripping their cranium. The thin and wrinkly fingers holding onto his chariot are being used to cause harm to someone you care about. His energizing smile feeds on their sadness. His magic is strengthened by the souls of his patsies. Help your peers fight what this graven being is doing to their psyche and ensure they don’t become victims of fan death.

There is no reason someone should vanish during a period of merriment. Force them to stay on this plane longer by encouraging them to come to your parties or gatherings. Show them people care about them and want to be in their presence. These beliefs toward themselves aren’t real and only exist in their head. “Forcing” the powerless to these commitments may seem selfish but it’s been shown it will increase their motivation to live longer. They won’t want to disappoint you and will wait until another time. But, while they find this new date, you can better their life.

Something as simple as asking them how they’re doing can be a defining question altering their outlook on life. The shortage of human connection is probably one of the biggest causes for Santa Claus entering their mind. Remember, the jolly titan comes for those who are cognitively insecure so even the smallest obstacle on their way to their spiritual deadline can change their desire for the everlong sleep. Something as simple as straight-up asking if they are thinking of caving can change these desires.

Doing this will make them say what they are about to do out loud, instead of letting the thought fester and evolve. They will hear these disastrous words and realize how far gone they have fallen. Make them come to terms with the fact they have only touched a blip of what is out there. They don’t need to arrive at their inevitable destination sooner than what is planned. Show them Santa Claus is wrong.

If you think you or a loved one is being battered by these spells then get in touch with professionals. Don’t be embarrassed about this despondency. 1-800-273-8255 is home to experts who want to prevent you or your dearests from crossing the one-way bridge. There are people who care about you. Turn your life around and brighten the world with your smile again.