“I just couldn’t get enough of it this year, from the story line to the old-timey feel of the production values, it gets to me every time,” said Wilder, who has not sought camera time, reporters or the attention of his constituency since early August, having watched a combination of the popular Christmas movie on both DVD and, most recently, TBS reruns.

Most of the viewings took place while being “holed up” in is Charles City County home’s attic, away from  friends, family, neighbors and the citizens he serves. 

Wilder, who will leave office at the start of January after a number of public fights and battles with local leaders and organizations, said he decided to “keep on the DL” for the past few months as he relentlessly watched the story of a young boy who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted from Santa Claus: an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle BB Gun with a compass in the stock.  ”And this thing which tells time,” Wilder quickly noted, stating that he, too, had one when he was eight years old.

City residents, agreeing that the story of the young “Ralphie” Parker was one for the ages, remained perplexed at the mayor’s four-month absence.

“I guess I just find it odd that he wouldn’t show his face in public for months, but now he’s saying that it’s been because he’s been getting into the Christmas spirit and chuckling over the Old Man’s ‘Major Award’?” said local resident Emily Zincone, 46. 

Wilder took no questions at his press conference, saying he had to catch a quick ride back to his home and catch the part where the Chinese restaurant workers sing Christmas carols and behead the “Chinese turkey.”

“I’m glad you asked, really,” the mayor told confused reporters gathered at City Hall, “but the key thing to understand is this: how could I know I was receiving extra money when I knowingly knew that I didn’t realize I was getting it?”

Meanwhile, befuddled journalists jotted down just how many double-negatives were used in the mayor’s explanation to see if a single positive was created, and therefore an admission of guilt.  Wilder was being questioned as to whether he knew he’d been receiving a monthly cash allowance by the city for his personal vehicle since 2005, when, in fact, a city-owned car was already being provided to him during that time.

 ”You have to look at this situation in very simple, highly complex terms,” Wilder explained, taking a deep breath as he rubbed his sweating brow.  “You see, the money I never saw with my own eyes, because it all came to me electronically and you can’t see that, unless you look at a statement.  Whereas you can hold cash and feel it and see it, you just can’t see the electronic money unless you check the Internet or a piece of paper.  So my point is, while I can’t see the money, I could.  But I didn’t.”

While Wilder is paying back the roughly $23,000 to the city, the case has drawn questions as to whether a double standard was used since another city official – department of emergency services director Ben Johnson – was forced to resign over his $500 a month stipend, which he too said he did not know about.  

Since the announcements, the mayor has maintained there was no double standard - and, in fact, it is all a matter of using the more rare double-back-flip half-standard.