"Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" is the ninth episode of the first season of the animated comedy television series South Park. The show's first Christmas special, it portrays the Jewish character Kyle feeling excluded from the town's Christmas celebrations and being comforted by Mr. Hankey, who can talk and sing. As Mr. Hankey does not come alive in the presence of other characters, they begin to think that Kyle is delusional. In another plot strand, the townspeople remove all symbols of Christmas from South Park to render the celebrations politically correct and inoffensive. When all the children start believing in him, Mr. Hankey finally reveals himself to everyone and scolds them for losing sight of the good things of Christmas and focusing on the bad. The townspeople apologize to Kyle, then sing Christmas songs and watch Mr. Hankey fly away with Santa Claus. Heavily influenced by the Peanuts Christmas special "A Charlie Brown Christmas", "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" was the first South Park musical episode and the only episode in season one in which Kenny does not die. It is a satire of political correctness and religious sensitivity and has been described as one of the classic South Park episodes.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Hankey,_the_Christmas_Poo

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

942:

William I Longsword of Normandy was ambushed by supporters of Arnulf I, Count of Flanders while the two were at a peace conference to settle their differences. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I,_Duke_of_Normandy

1790:

The Aztec calendar stone (pictured), now a symbol of modern Mexican culture, was excavated in the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_calendar_stone

1944:

Nazi troops under Joachim Peiper killed unarmed prisoners of war, captured during the Battle of the Bulge, with machine guns near Malmedy, Belgium. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malmedy_massacre

1951:

The Civil Rights Congress, an American civil rights group, presented a document to the United Nations Genocide Convention charging the United States government with genocide against African Americans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Charge_Genocide

2010:

Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest to police harassment, triggering the Tunisian Revolution. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Bouazizi

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

neotenous: 1. Exhibiting retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult. 2. (informal) Babyfaced. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neotenous

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

You may well ask why I write. And yet my reasons are quite many. For it is not unusual in human beings who have witnessed the sack of a city or the falling to pieces of a people to set down what they have witnessed for the benefit of unknown heirs or of generations infinitely remote; or, if you please, just to get the sight out of their heads. --Ford Madox Ford https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ford_Madox_Ford