Candace 'n' Company, by Jordan Smith

For me (and I suspect for many others), taking down the decorations after the holidays is mostly about trying to stuff everything back into bins for the next eleven months, and not so much about organization. As a result, Candace’s little nativity scene is missing a key player. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I don’t think I originally set out to have her use Santa Claus to fill in for Joseph the carpenter. Maybe one of the Magi? I based Candace’s little history lesson on what I learned of the real Saint Nicholas, who happens to be the patron saint of children, thieves and pawnbrokers.