Santa Claus Will Be Sad If You Don't Subscribe

I'm not quite sure what the illustration selected for this 1982 holiday season subscription ad for Electronic Games magazine was supposed to convey.  Santa's expression certainly doesn't befit his usual image as a jolly old elf.  He appears to have forgotten something important, like his bag of presents.  Or maybe his pants.

I like to think he suffers the same memory malady I find myself experiencing more and more often as I get older.  I'd be willing to wager I sport much the same expression as Saint Nick here, whenever I find myself thinking:

"I know where I am.  Why the heck am I here?"

But we know why Santa's here.  He's here to sell magazine subscriptions, and sucker people into subscribing for years in advance.  I wonder if anyone had a subscription paid through 1987, say, and bugged the new Electronic Games publishers for long-delayed fulfillment during its brief relaunch attempt in 1992?