Synopsis
The sketch begins with Cheech at the piano attempting to write a parody of "¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?" (Spanish for "Where is Santa Claus?"), a Christmas song by Augie Rios from 1958, to little success. Chong enters, at which point he reveals that he has never heard of Santa Claus (Chong repeatedly mistakes Santa Claus for a musician). Cheech then explains the story of Santa Claus, but from an unusual perspective. In 1966, Santa and his wife began in Housing project, the projects in an apartment next door to Cheech, after which, in no small part due to a combination of excessive noise from "hammering and pounding all night" and the cannabis (drug), cannabis-infused brownies for which Mrs. Claus became known, they were driven out and formed a Intentional community, commune at the North Pole with a large group of Christmas elf, midgets, supporting themselves with Aid to Families with Dependent Children, welfare and Food Stamp Program, food stamps. Cheech explains that the reason Santa's sleigh can fly is because he "took the Controlled-access highway, freeway" and liberally used "Phencyclidine, magic dust" and that uncomfortable experiences with United States Border Patrol, Border Patrol and Redneck, Southerners who threatened to cut off his hair and beard prompted him to go underground economy, underground. According to Cheech, Santa Claus now undercover operation, works undercover as a Salvation Army bell-ringer, at which point Chong once again, and more certainly this time, asserts he really had played music with Santa Claus. In contrast to most of their other sketches, Cheech and Chong play fictionalized versions of themselves in this bit. (Chong himself was a musician before beginning his collaboration with Cheech, most prominently as a songwriter and vocalist for Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers in the late 1960s; he somewhat fictionalizes this in the song, however, stating not that he is from his real hometown of Vancouver, but instead from Pittsburgh.)B-side
The B-side was "Dave," one of the duo's earliest and most famous sketches. In this sketch, a man named Dave (Cheech), who is apparently on the run from the police, attempts to enter the locked apartment of his roommate (Chong), who will not answer the door. As Dave repeatedly tries to identify himself, the roommate instead thinks he is asking for Dave, and replies "Dave's not here."References
{{Authority control Songs about Santa Claus 1971 singles Canadian comedy songs Comedy sketches Christmas novelty songs Cheech and Chong songs Songs about cannabis Ode Records singles Song recordings produced by Lou Adler