This goes too far.

People now want a slimmed down Santa.

Umm, I don’t see any kids growing up saying “I want to grow up and be fat like Santa”.  In fact, while I agree healthy habits need to be fostered early in life, how does having a skinny Santa change that?  I think this is ludicrous.  It’s just another way to find something else to blame for what is fundamentally a (in the case of a child) parental problem.  Yes it costs more (not really) and takes more time to prepare healthy snacks and meals than to toss your kid a Happy Meal, but its the parents’ responsibility to their children to do so.