In a syndicated newspaper cartoon, Santa Claus is pictured at his work bench putting a new toy together. From his nearby TV set, he hears a reporter saying, "We continue our look at the real meaning of Christmas – sales indicators. Consumers have dramatically cut back their borrowing which could slow the economy, but which might be a healthy development after their earlier borrowing which boosted the economy but added to concerns of low savings and over stimulation, but could result in sluggish sales leading into the all-important Christmas sales period."

Whereupon, Santa looks up and says to himself, "It used to be a lot easier to know if they've been bad or good."

Have YOU been bad or good? Do you even KNOW anymore? We expect every child climbing into Santa's lap to answer that questio…