Michaela's Muses: Naughty or Nice?

It’s about that time of year again, when parents and teachers alike are using Santa as a threat to keep kids in line until winter break.

Didn’t do your laundry? Didn’t say please or thank you (which, by the way, all of us could do a little more of)? Stole someone’s candy? Kicked your brother or sister? Santa’s going to put you on the naughty list and you won’t get presents.

To a child, this can be a terrifying possibility. Who doesn’t like presents?

When I was 3 years old, my parents and I lived in an apartment in Santa Fe. I remember it like yesterday. It was Christmas Eve, and the air was very chilly. It was a time when I looked up to my mom — it wasn’t metaphorically — and the largest concern I had was when I could next play with my toys. Well, perhaps the second-largest concern. My mom and I had just returned home from grocery shopping, it was late and the only light was from the apartments.

Suddenly, my mom looked up to the sky and said “Michaela! I think I hear Santa’s sleigh up there.”

Without another moment’s notice, I let out a high-pitched scream and ran as fast as I could inside.

Now, Santa isn’t particularly scary, but at the time the thought of being out of bed on Christmas Eve was terrifying. You have to admit, though, to a 3-year-old, Santa can be scary. A large guy in a red suit, laughs loudly and determines whether you are a good kid or a bad kid is a little intimidating.

It was not my mom’s intention to scare me. I think she just wanted to get me excited for the holiday.

To be completely honest, the parts of Christmas I do remember have nothing to do with the actual gifts. The above story proving my point. I remember moments with my family and friends.

I remember waking up at 3 a.m. Christmas morning with my parents. I remember watching “Die Hard” because, despite what people think, it is a Christmas movie. I remember surprising my dad with an Eddie Murphy vinyl a few years ago. He actually cried. I remember getting my mom a snow globe every year to add to her collection. I remember drifting in the snow with my husband for the first time and cuddling next to the fire at my parents’ house.

I’ve said this every year, but Christmas doesn’t need to be about gifts. Nice kids just want to be with their parents. Naughty kids want to be with them, too, but they don’t know how to show it.