Mama June -- Forget Santa ... I'll Save Christmas!

Christmas in the town of McIntyre, GA was almost cancelled, but Mama June ponied up out of her own pocket to save it.

The Shannon family has hosted a toy drive for the last 5 years ... with great success. Sometimes 500 people a night would show up at their well-decorated home, where adults deposited toys and the kids would sit on Santa's -- AKA Sugar Bear's -- lap.

But the fallout from the collapse of the Honey Boo Boo empire has taken its toll ... only a few hundred people showed up so far, and it looked like some kids would get nothing next week.

So Mama June says she personally forked over $2,000 for toys and says she'll ante up more if need be. She tells us, "No matter if one or one hundred came out, I was going to make sure the kids here in the county will wake up to something at Christmas."

So she's been naughty and nice.