Christmas all the time for Bradenton family

After Patricia Goldwire married in September 2007, she proudly wore her new work name tag.

“Patricia Christmas” it read.

Nobody commented, but when Easter rolled around, co-workers thought the joke had gone on long enough.

But there was no joke.

Patricia had become part of a family full of Christmas — or rather, Christmases. Her husband, Jermaine, grew up with it, as did his parents, Sarasota’s Roy and Shirley Christmas.

It’s a good thing Patricia Christmas loves the holiday and so does the rest of her family — their three children, 9-year-old Tremaine, 7-year-old Elijah and 5-year-old Genesys.

“I have Christmas socks on every day, all year round,” Patricia Christmas said, grinning. “I love Christmas. I’ve always loved Christmas. I tell (Jermaine) I married him because I wanted his last name.”

Jermaine Christmas said the joke never gets old.

The Christmas family, which lives in the Silverlake community, enjoys typical Christmas traditions, like trolling neighborhoods for great Christmas light displays, putting up their Christmas tree and ordering a family ornament each year for their tree.

Each year, Patricia Christmas buys Christmas pajamas for the whole household.

“I usually get shirts, too,” she said.

Although commentary about their last name occurs year-round, during the Christmas season the last name Christmas captures even more attention.

“Everybody always comments on it,” Patricia Christmas said. “Just the name Christmas brings all kinds of joy.”

“It’s fun,” Jermaine Christmas said. “Everybody comes up with their jokes. Your birthday must be Dec. 25. Why didn’t I marry somebody named Mary?”

When people say, “Really, your name is Christmas?” Jermaine quips, “Yep, because I’m full of surprises.”

“Everybody thinks I like presents,” Genesys chimed.

Tremaine said when he tells people he has a little sister, they always ask if her name is “Mary.”

Patricia Christmas had seriously considered it.

“(Jermaine) wouldn’t let me,” Patricia Christmas said, grinning.

Although the attention at times can be annoying and the jokes can become stale, overall, the Christmas family said it likes the specialness of the name.

Tremaine, in particular, likes the attention it brings.

“It makes me feel like I’m famous,” Tremaine said. “Maybe even more famous than Justin Bieber.”