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"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is a Christmas song with music and lyrics by Tommie Connor.

The original recording by Jimmy Boyd reached number one on the Billboard charts in 1952, and on the Cash Box chart at the beginning of the following year. The song was commissioned by Neiman Marcus to promote the store's Christmas card for the year, which featured an original sketch by artist Perry Barlow, who drew for The New Yorker for many decades.

Jimmy Boyd's record was condemned by the Roman Catholic Church in Boston when it was released on the grounds it mixed kissing with Christmas, ignoring the fact that mistletoe, under which many couples kiss, is traditionally hung on many ceilings at Christmas. Boyd, age thirteen, was photographed meeting with the Archdiocese to explain the song. After the meeting, the ban was lifted.^[1]

Meaning

The song describes a scene where a child creeps down from his bedroom to see his mother kissing "Santa Claus" (presumably his father dressed in a Santa Claus costume) underneath the mistletoe.

Popular versions of the song were done by the Ronettes and the Jackson 5. John Mellencamp and the Secret Chiefs 3 have also covered it.

International versions

• Danish: "Jeg så julemanden kysse mor" (Danish text: Susanne Palsbo)
• Finnish: "Kun joulupukki suukon sai" (Finnish text: Saukki)
• Norwegian: "Jeg så mamma kysse nissen" (Norwegian text: Philip A. Kruse)
• Swedish: "Jag såg mamma kyssa tomten"

Notes and references