Posted on 12/02/2008 9:21:54 AM PST by mlizzy
Having just turned five years old, I was a little young (at least back then) to question the “Holiday” law-of-the-land. Of course five-year-olds believed in Santa Claus! But it was back in the day when several ages of neighborhood kids used to hang around together, and I was running with some seven and eight-year-olds who were feeding me some pretty good reasons not to believe in that benign big man.
Most of you are at least vaguely familiar with the various Protestant Reformation (and later secular) traditions that transformed Saint Nicholas into Santa Claus, so it is not necessary to go into those now. What I’m wondering is why many devout Christians including some Catholics, conclude that, while it’s absolutely crucial to be truthful to your children, in the case of Santa Claus, it’s perfectly acceptable to LIE.
(Excerpt) Read more at fightingirishthomas.net ...
...in some parts in America where the people are of Dutch or German descent there is a charming alliance between Santa Claus and the Christ Child. It came about in this way. Some parts of Germany after the feast of St. Nicholas had been moved forward and identified with Christmas it was felt that the real patron of the day, the true giver of gifts, should be Christ himself. This feeling probably arose from the Protestant objection to the worship of saints. So St. Nicholas was deposed from power; gradually, not by any sudden revolution, he disappeared in some places, from the customs long associated with him. But the customs remained. On Christmas Eve there were gifts of sweets and toys for good children. Or they put bowls in the window, and behold, in the morning they found that the window pane has been taken out during the night and gifts laid in the bowls.The bringer of these gifts was not St. Nicholas but the Christ Child, in popular German, Kris Kringle. But among the German people in America, the legend of Santa Claus still survived, and so Kris Kringle is a combination of Santa Claus and the Christ Child.
- from THE TRUE STORY OF SANTA CLAUS
From a black and white viewpoint, parables would be considered lies as they are represented as fact but did not actually happen.
For starters, this guy’s description of the good Bishop is incorrect. Dec 6th is acknowledged as St. Nicholas’ day. At least when I heard the story ( many times in church and at home), the bishop secretly provided dowry money for the poor man with three daughters. There were reasons for this act that underscored the anonymity and the reward for acts done because they needed to be done. It is a story about self-sacrifice and an emphasis on others.
With that said, I see nothing wrong with having a little joy and celebration around the time of the longest day of the year ( since that is why the goood Roman church picked the 25th anyway). Those of us with a tradition that includes much in the way of Celtic lore happen to appreciate the festivities.
Folks really need to lighten up occassionally
And this is EXACTLY the story of Santa Claus that my husband I told our children. It did not at all diminish the joy of Christmas stockings. It also taught our children that while we enjoy fantasy and myth, there is a life changing reality in Jesus Christ and they learned about it first through the teachings of their parents and then, through, us to the Word.
Question:
Can St. Nicholas not be represented as the cause of gifts given in his honour?
Granted, I think it’s better to represent presents left in shoes on Dec. 6 as presents from St. Nicholas, but I’m not going to quibble about dates so long as the man is put in proper historical perspective and linked back to the Church he did so much to serve.
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