This one is for those who think they might have had a less than Merry Christmas…

Having not been home for the holidays the last two years, it was my turn to play Mr. Claus for the annual Agredano tradition of passing out presents to the little ones Christmas Eve.

Dressed up like Old St. Nick himself, I stepped outside the house where our family party was in full swing. Inside, the youngest nieces and nephews were anxiously awaiting Santa’s arrival.

Bag heavy with gifts in hand, I practiced my Ho Ho Hos, and prepared for the mayhem that usually ensued.

About five miles away, at about the same time, another Santa approached a different house, with less than cheerful intentions.

I was greeted by cheers and proceeded to put smiles on little faces.

At the Ortgea house in Covina, a young girl heard the knock and ran to the door to greet Santa. He immediately shot her in the face.

As the family screamed and ran for their lives, jumping out second floor windows, Bad Santa Bruce Pardo topped off his shooting spree by spraying everything with his homemade flamethrower.

Before the night was over, nine lay dead, the house was engulfed in flames, and 16 children were left orphaned. Here I thought I had it bad by getting a little headache and sweaty brow.

The next day, Christmas morning, Pardo was found across town with a self inflicted gunshot wound. An end that was much to good for him if you ask me.

It’s eerie to think this was all going down while I was doing my own Santa thing just a few miles away. Tragic stories like this one make us wonder how there can be such evil in the world. It makes us realize just how disturbed people can get.

But hopefully, they remind us how fortunate we all really are. And how when faced with troubled times, no matter how bad it gets – whether it be a divorce (like in Bruce’s case), the economy, or world famine – there is no need to go crazy with the racing fuel.

I did have a very Merry Christmas. Obviously much more than some others. I hope you can reflect upon yours and realize how wonderful it was too.