Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

I only have wonderful memories of my childhood Christmases. We certainly were not rich and most gifts we received were a mixture of a few toys and a lot of practical items like shirts, pants, sweaters and socks. For a child, these are not the things of which dreams are made. But for parents, it is a few dollars that they didn’t have to spend on necessities.

What always made Christmas special was my Aunt Joann, a supervisor at Marshall Field and Company department store in downtown Chicago. Marshall Field did an incredible presentation at Christmas – their store windows were masterful and the walk outside the store to view the displays was worth braving the cold. The Christmas tree inside the store was spectacular, scaling multiple floors, and the seasonally decorated Walnut Room was a favorite place for lunch. Children stood in line for hours with their parents at Santa’s Village waiting for a visit, but no one seemed to mind. The area was loaded with elves that held your attention while minstrels sang Christmas carols and Aunt Holly and Uncle Mistletoe prepped the children for the big moment with the jolly man in red. My Aunt Joann, who was also my Godmother, was able to invite my sister and me to the supervisors’ Christmas party since she was single. Believe me, it was first-class with storytellers, magicians, jugglers and carolers. I remember a chocolate shortbread cookie that was served with a red punch. I savored the flavor for a year, longing for next year’s Christmas party. It was a great time to be a child.

At home, we prepared for the coming of Santa, which was always difficult since we didn’t have a fireplace. Somehow, our parents convinced us that Santa had the power to enter a home even without the normal access route, and we did prepare a welcome plate. Now, most homes had milk and cookies prepared for Santa, but somehow my father told us that on a cold night Santa would prefer a shot of whiskey. You know what? He was right, because on Christmas morning, the gifts were under the tree and the shot glass of whiskey was always empty.

But, I must admit that I did have one disturbing memory about Christmas. It had to do with a lyric in a popular Christmas song that says, “I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus underneath the mistletoe last night.” It befuddled me why Santa was kissing my mommy, or any mommy. Besides, did Mrs. Claus know about his dalliances? Of course, in my later years, I figured it out, but the song still brings back disturbing memories.

Each Christmas, we create new memories as we sing more carols, make more cookies and share more kisses, thanks to a child whose love embraced the world. This child is a gift from God, whose generosity can never be surpassed. He simply reminds us to pass it on as we LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Note: This blog originally appeared as the December 23, 2014 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.