‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’: the Christmas song the Catholic Church tried to ban
As much as they claim Christmas is the time of peace and goodwill to all men, don’t be fooled – because if you have too much fun, the church might just have something to say about it.
Of course, the true religious meaning of the festivities can threaten to be diminished somewhat amidst all the capitalism and glitter the Western world throws at the Christmas season, which we’re all guilty of getting probably a little too invested in at times. No matter how bad we think we might be, though, there’s always the music industry to put things in perspective because Lord knows if they see an opportunity to grab some cash, they will be taking it.
The explosion of Christmas hits thrust back upon us every December speaks to that, with anyone from Nat King Cole to Julian Casablancas getting involved in the action. Despite how starkly non-religious these efforts have increasingly become over the years, at least most of them can rest easy knowing they never came in the firing line of the Catholic Church – that is, except poor Jimmy Boyd, with his classic ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’.
Innocuous as it may seem at first, the song really did ruffle a few feathers both within the Catholic Church and beyond upon its release in 1952. Well, to be fair, it’s not exactly the warming Christmas tune you think it might be – with references to possible infidelity and, ahem, lovemaking under the tree, it’s not exactly the most appropriate song choice for a 13-year-old boy to sing. That was, indeed, probably meant to be part of the cheeky charm, but it seems the Catholic Church didn’t subscribe to the same view.
At the time, the Boston wing of the American Catholic Church set out on a tirade to ban ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ for the cardinal sin of associating the birth of Jesus with getting it beside the Christmas tree. They carried this out by staging various boycotts of radio stations that dared to play the song, causing such a ruckus that it led to desperate measures.
Like in every good crisis management strategy, Columbia Records, who produced the track, came to the conclusion that the best way forward was to get the kid to bail them out. Hilariously, they actually sent the young teenage Boyd to the Archdiocese – a section of the Catholic Church ruled by an archbishop – to protest innocence. He claimed that Santa Claus in the song was actually just ‘Daddy’ in some festive dress-up, and whether they actually believed him or it was just the charm, they let him off the hook, and the ban was repealed. God bless us, everyone!
In this sense, the Ronettes, the Jackson 5, and all the other multitude of artists who have since covered the song have Boyd to thank for doing the heavy lifting for them back in the day. It is a good idea, come to think of it. Ever need repentance? Just get a cute kid to do it for you.
