"...You're A Mean One, Mr. Kimmel...."

Hey, kids, as you excitedly wait for that jolly old man to make his way to your house next weekend, here's a little secret old people won't tell you.

We don't really like getting older, but, after you've lived a certain number of years, you start to understand an even older saying.

"...it beats the alternative..."

And because we always, at least just a little, want to keep proving to ourselves that we are kids at heart, we are inclined to do stupid, even childish, things.

That will explain why we sometimes do things that you think, or even wish, old people wouldn't do...like making silly faces or doing silly voices...

...or asking you to pull our fingers.

And sometimes, when other old people put us up to it, we do silly things that, at first, we think are funny but, after a little while, realize we probably shouldn't have done.

Like, for example, what this old guy named Kimmel asked us to do.

Kids are cool. Pranks are awesome. Pranking kids? Really cool and very awesome.

Earlier this week, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" aired a video segment of parents taping their kids opening underwhelming (to put it mildly) Christmas gifts. Several days later, the clip is still buzzing on blogs and social networks. Yahoo! searches on "jimmy kimmel christmas gift" surged 953% on Thursday.

As the San Francisco Chronicle points out, the video has called into question whether this tactic is all in good fun or a case of parents emotionally abusing their children for the amusement of others. Is Kimmel a Grinch?

The clip, which features kids excitedly opening presents, thinking they might be a new toy, and instead finding old bananas, empty juice jugs, and half-eaten sandwiches. The reactions of the kids are, of course, what makes the video a hit.





While some old people who watched this video said they thought that it was mean to do that to kids, a lot more people said they thought it was funny.

And most of them said something like, "well, life can be tough and it's important that kids learn to have a sense of humor."

Personally, this old person agrees and disagrees.

First, I think that, just like religion, sex and why the Kardashians are popular, you have to be a certain age to understand about practical jokes.

And pretty much all the kids in that video aren't even close to that age, yet.

So, it's probably not very cool to do something that adults think is funny but only comes off to kids as mean.

If kids did something like that to other kids, old people wouldn't call it a practical joke.

They would call it bullying.

So, that's why, on one hand, I disagree that with what a lot of old people said about this.

Now, as far as why I agree...

Kids, life really can be tough...and you really do have to learn to have a sense of humor.

And learn to laugh at some of life's disappointments.

Because if you think it's totally, like, mean and wrong to excitedly unwrap a Christmas present in December just to find a rotten banana...

...wait until you see what happens in November right after you close a curtain behind you and flip a bunch of little levers.

Merry Christmas, kids.

Enjoy it while it lasts.