As we ate our last bite of galette des rois and packed up the Christmas decorations, it hit us that the only Pere Noel (Peres Noel?) we had seen this year had been those in our collection.  They are miniatures, just a couple of inches tall, made in the 20s and 30s of papier mache, plus a couple of larger wooden figures that were molds for papier mache candy boxes at the beginning of the 20th century. 

They are all slim bearded figures dressed in long robes, a couple of them red with white trim, but others are blue, green, even brown.  Their features are serious, almost stern. 

All are a far cry from the roly-poly permantly grinning character who has pushed them off the streets and out of the display windows of France–that agressive American, Santa Claus.  He was everywhere this year: ringing bells on street corners, waiting in stores to greet children, and in plastic “effigy” hanging from roofs and poles, sitting in a sleigh in yards and climbing up ladders perched in the most unlikely places.

Nowhere could you spot the old man who once claimed France and much of Europe as his own.  That man, Pere Noel, was a direct descendant of St. Nicholas himself and looked as though he meant it when he said he was checking his list twice to find out who had been naughty and who had been nice.  You just knew Pere Noel was no one to tangle with so you had better be nice.  Otherwise, a lump of coal with your name on it could well show up on Christmas instead of a longed-for toy. 

Sadly, there is probably no better symbol for America today than Santa–overweight, undiscerning, ubiquitous.  “Just tell me what you want, kids,” he seems to be saying, “you’re entitled to it.” 

Entitlement has meant the demise of Pere Noel and with him, the death of an important part of Christmas, an important part of life.  That is a sense that gifts are something special, something to be treasured, not just more stuff. 

When one of those gifts is opened with surprise and delight, well, that is the sort of thing to bring a smile to the face of a stern old man who’s double-checking his list.

Come back, Pere Noel.  We need you.