I can't breathe. I thought I was finally done laughing at this but then the animation pops up on Newgrounds and, once again, I can't handle it.

Amazing! The way you were able to properly create a sense of texture in this piece is really something to admire. You did a great job at making things look really dark and the way you did the background really makes the buildings stick out as separate objects. I really like how this piece came out.

My thirst thought when looking at this was "dark." But also different. In a good way.

Most of the other submissions I've seen so far that go with darker themes make it more like Santa is threatening them to get their work done (I did the same thing, admittedly). But this is dark in a much different way. It's original and the message is powerful. I don't think you missed the point at all, I think you hit the nail right on the head, and you did it by coming up with something entirely different and new.

The art style alone is a very interesting one. It kinda reminds me of an illustration from a Roald Dahl book. It's not something you see very often, but it does a really good job at conveying that this isn't a lighthearted, happy, or funny illustration in the slightest and it kinda does give us a sort of feeling that this was illustrated for a kid. Smaller details like the wallpaper being torn, the bottles littered around, the idea that this man has fallen asleep on his kid while watching TV, the santa hat.... Every little detail does a great job at story telling. It tells us everything we need to know about this little girl's life. We know how sad and hopeless she feels and that their living situation is awful, we know that they probably can't afford a Christmas because the house looks like crap and the dad probably spends his money on beer. We know that all she has to look forward to is Santa coming over on Christmas Eve to leave her something that will make her day, heck, it'll probably make her entire year. That hat is dirty, showing she's had it for a while and it's probably one of the only things she has to hold onto, so she probably takes it with her everywhere. Her face is covered, meaning that she's probably crying while doing her best to hide it. It's really.... Powerful. It's moving.

Though it's really dark and sad, this could definitely be something that elves would look up at every so often and think, "Shoot, that's right. This is why I do my job. This is why I'm trying so hard. I need to keep moving for kids like her. I need to work my bum off for her." It's very... Well thought out. I really like it.

Overall, I don't care what anyone else might think of this, I think it's amazing. I think you did a great job of sending your intended message and I'm a little sad to see that others have overlooked this art piece. Great job, mate. You really moved me with this one. Please forgive the super long review. I hope it was helpful.

I'm not great at critiquing yet, but I'll do my best to give a fair review!

I like the handwriting and little illustrations that go with it because they look very... Non-threatening. The cute little happy faces, the little Christmas-y things like mistletoe and a bell, all of it looks very nice and happy just on its own and it really contrasts with the darker undertones in this picture (in a good way). The added "OR YOU WILL BE PUNISHED" in tiny writing is fun because it pokes fun at the whole "read the fine print" idea. The elf alone was drawn in a very interesting, more realistic art style. The way the irises in his eyes are drawn to look smaller really emphasize the fact that his eyes are bulging in horror and fear and the small details like the little shines on his gums and mouth really make it stick out. I also love that there's a little green light on his choker, implying that it's more of a pet collar than it is an accessory. You details for the fluff and hair are very consistent, making it stand out as a material without standing out so much that it looks like it's from a different art piece/style all together. I love that even though Santa isn't drawn in full detail, we all know who it is that's punishing the elf for not smiling just because of the little fuzzies at the ends of his sleeves. Making the fuzzy parts on the elf yellow instead of white was a great idea because since it's so different than Santa's, there's no questioning who's holding the candy canes. You also did a great job of using the red in a more ominous way, making it fade into a darker shade as if to imply that there truly is someone terrifying coming out from behind your elf. The only thing I can seem to fault you for was some of the blending. It looks a bit awkward on Santa's hands and some of the lighter parts kinda stick out as if they aren't actually a part of his hands. That's it, though.

Overall, you did a good job with combining dark and happy, by making the main message sound cheery while making the more obvious one a little more threatening. Amazing work. I'm sorry if this review was too long, but I hope it was useful!