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How Reba McEntire Included Her Son in Her "I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus" Cover
The Happy's Place star added a few personal touches to this classic Christmas song.
From “I’m a Survivor” to “Fancy,” Reba McEntire is behind countless hits for your everyday listening needs. And when the holidays roll around every year, The Voice Coach and Happy’s Place star also has us covered with her own renditions of classics like “Silent Night” and the always cheeky “I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus.”
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McEntire even added a couple personal touches to her version of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” which she released 25 years ago. Read on to learn what she tweaked and the sweet way she included her son, Shelby Blackstock.
Reba McEntire’s “I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus” was released in 1999
From the original by Jimmy Boyd in 1950 to The Jackson 5, there are many versions of this Christmas song. McEntire released hers in 1999, using “Mama” instead of the usual “Mommy."
The word “Mama” clearly holds a special place in the country legend’s heart, as that’s how she refers to her own mother. In the days after her mother’s death, McEntire told TODAY that she nearly retired from music “because I always sang for Mama.”
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“Mama was the one that inspired us kids,” she explained. “Taught us kids how to sing, took us to our singing gigs and was our biggest cheerleader.”
“I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus” is included on McEntire’s second Christmas album, The Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection. McEntire’s version of the classic holiday song stayed on Billboard’s country music charts for several weeks when it was first released.
Reba McEntire’s “I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus” lyrics mention her son, Shelby
McEntire included lyrics for her son, Shelby, who she welcomed in 1990 with her ex-husband Narvel Blackstock, in her version of “I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus.”
In the very first lines of the song, McEntire sings: “Christmas toys all over the place / Little Shelby wears a funny smile on his face / Shelby has a secret / And the secret he must share / He wants to tell somebody / So he tells his teddy bear.”
Like the original, McEntire’s version is told from a child’s point of view recalling how they snuck out of bed and saw their mom kissing Santa under the mistletoe on Christmas Eve. As McEntire goes on to sing, “I saw Mama kissing Santa Claus / Underneath the mistletoe last night.”
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How many Christmas albums does Reba McEntire have?
Over the years, McEntire has put out three festive Christmas albums and dozens of holiday songs, both original and covers.
While McEntire released her first album in 1977, her first Christmas album, Merry Christmas to You, came out a decade later in 1987. Following up on the success of her debut holiday album, McEntire released The Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection, which features classics like “I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus” and “This Christmas.” In 2016, McEntire recorded her third holiday album, My Kind of Christmas.
McEntire told Parade that some of her favorite Christmas songs are “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night,” both of which she’s recorded herself, but she’s also a big fan of her collaborators. “I love Kelly Clarkson’s Christmas album,” she said. “I’ve had three Christmas albums, so you’ve got to put them in there and support my band, who played with me on one of them. Lee Ann Womack and Trisha Yearwood are my favorites also.”
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You can find all of McEntire’s Christmas music — 47 songs in total — on her Spotify playlist, “The Complete Christmas Collection.”
