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Three Cheers for Mrs. Claus

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Contributed by: Karen Linamen on 11/30/2007

I don't know why Santa gets all the credit.

The truth is, women carry the lion's share of the responsiblity--and the privilege--of creating memorable holidays for the folks we love. I think it's because a successful Christmas requires skills that come more naturally to women than to men.

Like spending massive sums of money.

And that's just for starters. Women are also better at manipulating unwieldy pieces of wrapping paper, as well as knowing the behind-the-scenes politics of all our friends so that uncomfortable combinations of people don't show up at the same Christmas party.

Pulling off the perfect Christmas also requires an understanding of the nuances of giblet gravy, an ability to whip up an angel costume in twenty minutes or less, and a mastery of the perfect pie crust. (My secret? After I remove the pie crust from the freezer, I make sure I peel off the cellophane and cardboard label before pouring in the filling.)

Women have these skills. Men don't.

This is why you can't convince me that Mrs. Claus isn't the unsung hero. Don't tell me she's not behind the scenes, coaching her husband every step of the way. I can hear her now, peering over his shoulder as he makes out the gift list: "Santa, honey, don't even THINK about giving that new garage door remote to newlywed Mrs. Jones. She's going to be much happier with the perfume. Trust me."

I can see her following him to the sled with last-minute shopping instructions: "Target has special holiday hours, so you don't have to rush. There's a sale on iPods at Sears, and whatever you do DON'T go to Bath World--this is Wednesday and senior citizens get a 10% discount, so the place will be crowded so you'll have a hard time negotiating the aisles with Donder and Blitzen. Did you remember the list? Your wallet? Good. And if I'm not here when you get home, the Scotch tape is in the top left desk drawyer, and wrapping paper's in the hall closet."

I can even hear her coaching her husband as he's getting dressed on Christmas Eve: I don't care if anyone sees you or not. The black dress socks with your shorts and baseball cap are tacky. Wear something else. And don't tell me your red suit is dirty because I picked it up from the cleaners just this morning."

If you're like me, you take your role as Christmas-maker very seriously. Indeed, Christmas is just around the corner and before long you and I will be toting lists of about two million last-minute things that need doin' before December 25. It's not that men and kids don't help with the planning, shopping, cooking and decorating, but if women were removed from the picture, Christmas dinners would include tater tots and two out of three gifts would come from Home Depot.

Christmas depends on us, ladies. The success of the coming holiday is on our shoulders.

Yes, women make Christmas.

It's our labor of love.

Which makes me think of another woman, a woman for whom Christmas was a labor of love in a very real sense of the word.

Because a long time ago, there was a woman who held Christmas, not on her shoulders, but in her arms. Like you and me, she had the privilege of shaping Christmas, but it wasn't through the labor of her hands. Indeed, Christmas entered the world through the painful rendering of her pregnant body, and then she held him in her arms as he slept.

As the days til Christmas shorten and my list of things-to-do seems longer than ever, it's not a bad time to remember that, as well-intentioned as they may be, my efforts don't "make" Christmas. God did that--through Mary--2,000 years ago. Which makes Christmas complete and perfect, just the way it is.

If I have any goal this December, maybe it should be to celebrate Christmas the way Mary did: By embracing the person called the Christ.

Well, that...and staying away from Bath World on Wednesdays.

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