Santa Claus, Pere Noel, Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, Kris
Kringle, and Jolly Old Saint Nick are all names for the man who drives a magic
sleigh, has a sack full of toys, and a stomach ‘like a bowl full of jelly.’ Children wait all year for this mysterious
yet beloved man to appear with the presents on Christmas Eve, yet not
many children or adults know much about him except that he's the most important resident in the North
Pole and has elves who help him. So where
did Jolly Old Saint Nicholas come from?
St.
Nicholas was a bishop who lived in what is now known as Turkey during the 4th
century. At age nine he became an
orphan, and this was just the beginning of his difficult life. When he was older he studied philosophy and
Christian doctrine, and was known as a candid troublemaker. Roman Emperor Diocletian, who was not a fan
of the Christians at all, wanted Nicholas to stop preaching Christianity. He had Nicholas arrested and jailed
twice. (Yes, ‘Santa’ has a criminal record.)
St. Nicholas eventually became the Bishop of Myra, and was known for
his good will and red bishop’s robe.
The legend of Santa Claus comes from a traditional story of
St. Nicholas. Generous Bishop Nicholas
helped his poor neighbor to pay for his daughters' weddings by sneaking to
their house in the middle of the night and dropping a handful of coins through
the open window. It was enough money for
the eldest daughter to be married, and the Bishop would duplicate this act
again for each daughter. From this story
of St. Nicholas the legend of Santa Claus was born, and it has grown into the
tales we know today, full of stockings, chimneys, presents and all that
Christmas stuff.
During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century,
Catholic St. Nicholas and tales of his adventures were frowned upon. In the Netherlands he was renamed
‘Sinterklaas’ and stories of a kindly man who wore red robes, had elfin
assistants and traveled from house to house delivering presents for children
emerged. After Dutch immigrants came to
the United States, ‘Sinterklaas’ evolved into the ‘Santa Claus’ we know today.
The true
story of St. Nicholas is full of suffering, simplicity, humility and
generosity, as is the story of Jesus’ nativity.
Both young and old focus on Santa Claus during the Christmas season but
they forget that Jesus’ birth is what we are celebrating. It is saddening that the story of God
becoming a human is not good enough for some, though it is intriguing,
beautiful and heroic. Instead, they turn
to a man with a sack full of toys and cheeks like roses and a nose like a
cherry to provide their Christmas joy.
As Christmas draws near, everyone must decide who the real reason for
the Christmas season really is: Jolly Old Saint Nick or Jesus Christ?
Watch this
video for more history of St. Nicholas, whose feast day is celebrated on
December 6th.
