Traditions

Santa is based on a real person, St. Nicholas, whose feast day is fast approaching. The mythology of St. Nicholas may not include the North Pole or reindeer, but it does include giving treats to good children and impoverished children, leaving presents in shoes left out overnight. St. Nicholas brought joy to people’s lives, and he still brings joy to Shortcake’s life every year. Shortcake tends to celebrate the less popular holidays: Pi Day, Ides of March, May Day, and St. Nick Day are the important ones. Christmas is all well and good, but it’s not so much fun anymore. As a kid, Shortcake only got 1 present from Santa and 1 present from Mom and Dad on Christmas day, neither of which was wrapped, so opening presents under the tree wasn’t so exciting. Besides, in a Roman Catholic household, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, not the presents, so there was always Mass to go to, and lessons to learn about living the teachings of Jesus. These beautiful traditions were, of course, marginalized by Shortcake’s childhood self. Being a better person in honor of Christmas was all about how many pieces of string could be put down as hay in the manger to prepare for Jesus’ arrival, and whether or not she had more than Dorkwad, her brother. (The nativity never had Jesus before Christmas Day. He wasn’t born yet. Shortcake’s nativity, to this day, does not have a Jesus in it until Christmas Day.) Shortcake and Dorkwad (the brother, let ye forget) used to fight over who got to light the Advent candles at dinner. They also fought over who got to move the Wise Men on their daily trek to the Nativity (again, they didn’t arrive until Jan. 6, the 12^th day of Christmas and the traditional day of Epiphany, never mind the fact that in the Church calendar, Epiphany is the first Sunday after Jan. 1). They fought over whose turn it was to put up a new ornament on the two (count ‘em – two) advent calendars (one each, and they still fought – it was a very complicated system), as well as whose turn it was to open the Christmas Elf/Angel (the Elf died around Junior High in Shortcake’s mother’s attempt to get out of small daily presents during December. Ha! Nice try. The Elf had to be resurrected as the Angel, and the tradition wasn’t permitted to end until Shortcake graduated from high school.)

Shortcake stopped believing in the reality of Santa fairly young, although she remembers faking it for a few years for purely materialistic reasons. But belief in the reality is not the point. At the end of the day, it’s about the tradition.

Despite the fact that Shortcake left the Roman Catholic Church (for theological reasons) she remembers fondly the traditions. The mass is beautiful, with lighting the candles, and singing Christmas carols for the first time.

Shortcake remembers one mortifying Christmas mass when she was ready to sing “Joy to the World,” and it sounded like the intro was over, so she busted out the chorus as loud as she could. The intro was not over, and she sang alone for a phrase. She then proceeded to blush as hard as she could, and joined in meekly when it was appropriate.

All of Shortcake’s favorite Christmas songs are religious in nature: “Away in a Manger,” “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World,” and “Angels We Have Heard On High.” (This is actually a handicap in being an elf. Elves aren’t supposed to sing religious songs as the emphasis is on Santa, a thoroughly secular figure, and not Jesus, a thoroughly religious figure. Shortcake ends up singing “Jingle Bells” a lotva because it’s the only song she can remember all of the words to.)

The nativity goes up every year, with the prerequisites listed above (look up 4 paragraphs). There is a tree, decorated with ornaments, even if it’s small and fake. (Christmas trees should be real, goshdarn it.) And there is St. Nick day. Shortcake relies upon her mother to send her St. Nicholas day presents (she received three packages today and spent 5 minutes hugging them in happiness), and Shortcake always prepares small packages of chocolate and oranges (traditional St. Nick treats since chocolate is yummy and oranges were hard to come by in Germany in the winter when St. Nicholas was alive) for her roommates, casts and co-workers. Shortcake does not do this to make people like her. She does not expect presents from her mom because she is materialistic. It is because it is a tradition that cannot be set aside.