Santa gets a list of write-ups from Dean O’Connor 

For Mount Carmel Dean of Students Dan O’Connor, the spirit of Christmas does not deter him from fulfilling his duties. Santa Claus has finally made his yearly arrival at MC and is making waves for the disciplinary committee. 

With his first steps on campus the Big Man in Red almost immediately got written up. His flowing red cloak was the culprit, but Mr. O’Connor let it slide thinking that it was just a jacket that he would take off later in the day. Santa did not, deciding to wear the cloak the entire school day along with his long red hat. This led to Santa's first of many write ups. 

“When we were kids it was really nice to think about all the fun holiday stuff with Santa,” said senior Ryan Clark, “but now it’s getting kind of annoying to watch him blatantly ignore the dress code and stuff without changing.”

Father Christmas isn’t the biggest fan of shaving. One of his biggest trademarks, his beard, has been the cause of several of his write ups. On his second day on campus, Dean O’Connor warned Santa to get his beard shaven soon or there will be consequences. Not knowing what to do, Santa decided to wear a mask as a way to try and hide his beard, but to no avail. Dean O’Connor had no choice but to write him up after this attempted bending of the rules.

Kris Kringle doesn’t drive the most modest of vehicles. His seventeen foot long sleigh with approximately three-hundred thirty-two jingle bells makes him a nuisance in the sky. With a vehicle of those proportions, it can be hard to find a parking spot but Santa has found a way to make it work. He arrives in the parking lot at around 6:45 every morning and carefully lowers his sleigh into any of the farthest corners of the parking lot. Unfortunately, he has done this all without a parking pass, leading to Dean O’Connor writing him up once again. 

“I think that it’s great to have someone be willing to freely do what they want at school,” said sophomore Matthew McCool. “I wish I could do that but serving all of those detentions would be annoying.” 

A majority of the student body has nothing bad to say about Santa. “He’s really a good guy,” said junior (someone who doesn’t write for The Merchant). “The only issue is how he dresses but even then he has a really nice beard.”

Santa Claus has brought a slew of presents with his time at MC. Not only that but he has also been a large donor of elf labor for construction on the Student Center. His pile of wealth in both material goods and services has led to many students becoming angry and spiteful towards Santa. His bright and cheery demeanor has had mixed reactions among the student body, even causing some to get put on the naughty list for their comments. 

In recent years, Mt. Carmel has been at an all time low for Christmas cheer. With more than half the student body looking forward to a lack of school more than the holiday itself. As an avid Mt. Carmel fan, Santa couldn’t allow such low levels of enthusiasm through the school, so he has been roaming the school grounds spreading cheer.  

Santa Claus has given Dean O’Connor an IOU for his pending detentions.