NHS Commercial Of Santa Battling COVID-19 Raises Fears About ‘Traumatizing’ Kids
Image via Marbury / Shutterstock.com
NHS Charities Together, a charity supporting the UK’s National Health Service, has released a Christmas advertisement that has left families feeling a little more unsettled than usual.
Titled The Gift, the campaign shows a sick Santa Claus being nursed back to health after battling COVID-19. The video has been criticized by the public, as many claim it has “traumatized children.”
The video shows a bearded elderly man connected to oxygen tubes and being treated by nurses in full PPE. The advertisement then shows the hospital staff nursing him back to health—moving him from a wheelchair to a walker and him slowly leaving the hospital.
He is also seen responding to letters addressed “to Santa.” The final scene shows one of the nurses receiving a Christmas present with a card that reads, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for all of us,” which is signed by “Santa.”
The clip is designed to celebrate NHS workers, who have worked hard this year to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
Unfortunately, many have taken issue with the campaign, pointing out that Santa battling COVID-19 can have a “traumatizing” effect on kids. Several other Twitter users, on the other hand, have praised the campaign, stating it reminds the public to think about frontline health workers during Christmas.
NHS Charities, however, has defended the advertisement, claiming that it isn’t aimed at children and has an important message behind it.
“We created our Christmas campaign to highlight the ongoing commitment and hard work of NHS staff and volunteers to keep us safe and well in what has been and continues to be a really challenging time for the NHS,” it said.
“We are really grateful that through the support of our partners we were able to create a film to get that point across, and to encourage people to keep supporting NHS staff, patients and volunteers by generating donations to our appeal,” it added.
The charity has worked closely with the team behind the campaign to ensure “it has been produced responsibly” before apologizing to young parents whose children have been affected by the clip.
Spoiler alert- The NHS have now hijacked Santa & given him Covid to raise money for their charity. Someone thought this was a good idea. Guaranteed to scare the hell out of little ones if they watch it. Disgusting idea that targets the fears of the very young.
— Ken Simpson-Hay (@fusilier50) December 11, 2020
Massive own goal. https://t.co/WdfAmae3Vo
Nightmare before Christmas! Santa is rushed into hospital by paramedics in new NHS charity advert
— kim Paterson 🇮🇲🇯🇪 (@kimjpaterson) December 10, 2020
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Please stop traumatising children.
Let them just enjoy Xmas and 🎅🏼 without giving them adult problems to deal with as well. https://t.co/I9OR9SuV8b
I don’t mean to be thick but what exactly is so wrong with this ad?!It’s not saying Santa isn’t real he’s just in hospital and sending good wishes to those in the NHS who have been treating him and deserve it. What is wrong with that?
— PBGuy71 (@PBGuy71) December 11, 2020
Loving this heartwarming ad by the UK's NHS. It reminds us all to think about the frontline workers spending this holiday season battling the pandemic and its repercussions. https://t.co/GVvsPThlB6
— Imaj Associates (@imajassoc) December 9, 2020
[via Tyla, cover image via Marbury / Shutterstock.com]
