by Christopher Everle

Created on: December 22, 2011   Last Updated: April 02, 2012

Growing up in a Catholic home, Saint Nick (AKA Santa Clause) has always been a big part of the holiday season. After all, he brought us presents each year. Never over shadowed, we were always reminded about the importance of Jesus Christ, even before attending the Christmas morning mass dressed in our Sunday’s best.

I remember my great grandmother telling us tales of her own childhood Christmas tradition. She was one of two girls in a low income Irish family. They lived in a tiny apartment in New York City at the turn of the last century. From her parents they would each receive one new doll whose hair would match their own. My great grandmother would always get a red head while her sister would get a brunette. They’d also get one or two very small gifts left in their stockings from Santa Clause. The larger, more important gift would always come from their mom and dad. As a child, my own brothers and I couldn’t believe how happy she said they’d be on Christmas morning to find their one doll waiting for them.

I am one of three boys, the youngest in fact. Our own childhood Christmas traditions differed greatly from my great grandmothers. On the night before Christmas, the tree would be decorated with colored lights and nothing else. When we woke on Christmas morning the tree would be covered from floor to ceiling with tinsel and ornaments, compliments of Santa Clause, we were told. We loved the surprise of seeing the tree’s transformation, along with the piled up presents that surrounded it. Each of us had a color that our presents would be wrapped in so Santa never had to place names on them. Our parents would give us gifts the night before of a set of new pajamas that we’d have to wear for the pictures of unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning.

Now, four generations since my great grandmothers own traditions, we prepare to celebrate the first Christmas that my own son is actually aware of Santa Clause and not just interested in playing with the empty boxes. Many Christians have a balancing act of maintaining the importance of their religious beliefs while also sharing the fun of gift giving and the tradition of Santa Clause on Christmas morning. Without getting involved in the sticky debate of Jesus vs. Santa, I question, “What about Mom and Dad?”

My own family has seen a change over the last century. Like many other families, we’ve seen a growth in the importance of Santa Clause and a reduction in the role that mom and dad play as providers for the celebration of Christmas. Think back to your own childhood, sitting on Old Saint Nick’s lap and asking for a toy you really wanted. Then on Christmas morning, running to the tree in hopes that Santa hadn’t forgotten you. Many Christians ask that we remember why we have Christmas in the first place, since it’s been around for almost 2000 years, quite longer than Santa and all his helpers at Macys. But our childhood memories would be very different if it weren’t for Mom and Dad. They play Santa all year long but Old Saint Nick steals all of the glory on Christmas morning.

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