Modern day Christmas really centers on children. Yes, the holiday got its start with a child, but commercially it has come to be all about toys and childhood fun.

How many parents have sacrificed something so that their children could have their treasured Christmas gift? How many parents have trudged out into the crowded malls so that their children could ask Santa, personally, for what they wanted?

Yes, adults love Christmas, too … but watch the commercials and you’ll see that most of them are aimed at children.

Take a look at the movies made for the season, too. Most of them are made with children in mind. TV special … yep, children are the primary focus there, as well.

Christmas can be a boom time for retail business. Why? Yes, we’re all buying gifts for loved ones and friends. But what really drives the shopping activity is the desire of parents, relatives, friends and acquaintances to play Santa Claus, primarily for children.

Within families, children are usually the ones who individually receive the most gifts. There is just something about a child’s innocent, wide-eyed excitement … and pure, unadulterated joy … at opening his or her Christmas presents that gives everyone an indescribably happy feeling.

Of course, there is a “dark” side to playing Santa. Parents, for generations, use it as a way to discipline their children. Remember, Santa is making a list and checking it twice … finding out which children are naughty or nice. At one time, bad little children would get a lump of coal in their stocking!

I remember a particularly hairy Christmas when I was a toddler. I don’t remember being bad, but I do remember my parents being dubious about whether Santa would come or not because I had been a naughty little girl. To make matters worse, we were staying at a lodge … with no chimney in our room … and we had forgotten my stocking!

As a substitute, my dad hung his socks in the closet. I went to bed crying … knowing that Santa would not find me and I would not get my gifts.

Imagine my surprise when I woke up in the morning to find Dad’s sock filled with gifts!

Yes, Christmas really is all about the children. The toys. The stories. The traditions. And all together they make memories … memories that we hold onto throughout our lives and even pass on to our children. So, I think it fitting that one of the most memorable lines in the the most memorable of Christmas tales comes from a child … “God bless us, everyone,” said Tiny Tim.

I have this one ornament that stands out from all the rest that I have. It is a little 3D scene of Santa Claus playing golf. And he isn’t alone. There are lots of ornaments that follow a Santa Claus theme.

There are vintage Santas, modern Santas, Santas playing sports … you name it, there is probably an ornament of Santa that includes it.

One style of Santa I like is the image of the Victorian Father Christmas. I grew up in East Africa, so my first Santa Claus was a tall, skinny dude called Father Christmas. The Victorian images are much closer to what I grew up with.

I also like the rich colors associated with Victorian Santas: hunter green, deep maroon, royal blue.

Another name for Santa, of cours, is Kris Kringle. And this name is also associated with a certain look. We commonly think of the burly white-bearded man in the red suit when we think of Kris and many people prefer to collect holiday decorations that stay true to this image.