In an apparent effort to out-Grinch the Grinch, a COVID-19 awareness group has put out a holiday video depicting Santa Claus biting the dust.
The John Snow Project released the 52-second video, called “A Very COVIDY Christmas,” on Monday.
It starts out innocently enough, with a bright-red storybook opening to reveal a charming scene showing Santa sitting in his sleigh with a giant bag of presents, surrounded by elves.
A woman’s voice gently croons, as if reading a bedtime story, “’Twas the night before Christmas. Santa took a deep breath. If only he’d known it would lead to his death.”
At that point, the page turns to reveal a red coffin sitting on snow-covered ground, with grief-stricken North Pole citizens — and reindeer — looking on with mournful expressions.
The scene changes to show elves lining up at a hand sanitizer station outside a building bearing an ominous sign demanding, “WASH HANDS BEFORE ENTRY.”
“Santa always listened when the famous doctors spoke,” the narrator continues.
The page turns again, this time to reveal Mrs. Claus weeping by a fire. “Too bad they didn’t mention that the virus spreads like smoke.”
Mercifully, the storybook closes before a slogan in large, all-capital letters fills the screen.
“DON’T LET COVID RUIN CHRISTMAS,” the message declares as sleigh bells jingle and cheery music plays in the background.
The video then shows, one by one, Christmas ornaments in the shape of an N-95 mask, a fan for “clean indoor air,” a syringe labeled “latest vaccines,” and a COVID test kit.
It ends with a link to The John Snow Project’s website.
The site explains that the organization is named after the doctor who, in 1854, made the groundbreaking discovery that contaminated water was causing the spread of cholera.
Comments have been limited or switched off on most of the group’s social media posts, but users had plenty to say about the Christmas video.
“This is psychotic,” one X user wrote. “Zero-covid nutters at the John Snow Project angling for lockdowns and all manner of restrictions. Now. In December 2023.”
This is psychotic.
Zero-covid nutters at the John Snow Project angling for lockdowns and all manner of restrictions. Now. In December 2023.
🤬🤬🤬
— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) December 15, 2023
“This might be the weirdest and creepiest bit of propaganda I have seen since 2020,” another commented.
Yet another asked, “Are they nuts, evil, or both?”
