Oberlin - Conceptual artist Keith McGuckin kills off Santa Claus in his latest holiday display at the Oberlin Public Library. McGuckin, of Wellington, is known for his controversial holiday displays, which have included a drug-smuggling elf, a crystal meth Christmas and Nazi gingerbread men.

Santa Wheelchair
© unknownNo Tannenbaum No!
Once again, he's pushing the envelope. In his latest display called "Tanenbaum" - a misspelling of "tannenbaum," the German word for Christmas tree - Santa has no legs after a boozed-up accident involving some power lines. If that's not bad enough, a crazed tree is seen pushing Santa's wheelchair down a flight of stairs.

McGuckin said he expects to touch a few nerves. "I think a lot of people will be upset about a legless Santa," he said.

Although you don't see St. Nick's sad end, McGuckin's narrative that accompanies the display tells the rest of the story. When authorities examine the heap of twisted chrome and crimson, they rule Santa's death an accident. The tree goes off to a strip club to live it up on money taken from Santa's Salvation Army kettle.

Sheila Ross of Oberlin was among library patrons Tuesday who didn't appreciate the humor. "To me, it's terrible," Ross said. "I wouldn't bring my grandson to see this - it's sick." "I'm sorry, ma'am," McGuckin said. "It's a cartoon." But herbalist Kim Rawlings, also of Oberlin, was delighted. "I love it - it's very Christmas-y and hysterical," she said. "It's kind of a cruel humor."

McGuckin's holiday displays in Oberlin and Wellington have been controversial for years. Last year, his display called "Tis the Season for Murder" was based on 1950s film noir and portrayed a heavily lipsticked snowwoman with a penchant for turning her three snowman husbands into snow cones. The biggest howls of protest probably occurred in 2006 when an Oberlin hardware store featured his display of gingerbread men in full Nazi uniforms, complete with swastikas, gathered around a fire pit. After protests, the display called "The Secret Life of Gingerbread Men" was removed from the Oberlin storefront and placed in a vacant store in Wellington. News reports about the gingerbread Nazis made it onto media outlets including Fox News and "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central. It also sparked discussion. In Oberlin, artists, professors and a writer for ArtNews debated the topic "Edgy Art: Where Does it Cross the Line?" after the display.

McGuckin said his art does get him in trouble sometimes. A young woman working at an ice cream stand sought an anti-stalking order earlier this year after he visited the stand and gave her a few cards he had drawn. She withdrew the request at a hearing before a magistrate in September, and McGuckin said he has since been doing his best to avoid her. McGuckin said he didn't mean any harm, saying, "I thought she was a nice girl and that we would be buddies."

Darren McDonough, director of the Oberlin library, said the Santa display isn't his favorite McGuckin work, but he doesn't plan on taking it down. "Remember the old library saying - 'If we don't have something to offend you, we're not doing our job,' " McDonough said with a laugh.

McGuckin, of Wellington, said he just hopes his 87-year-old mother doesn't notice her wheelchair is missing until after the holidays. "I'm really in love with Christmastime," he said. "My favorite day of the year is when the Christmas tree goes up." He also insists he isn't a white supremacist, even though he seems to have a fascination with them.

His latest video on YouTube features "Christmas with The Snow Klansmen 4" filmed at "Whitey's Christmas Tree Emporium."