Honoring the ‘Saint’ in Saint Nicholas

I used to play Saint Nicholas and present his story at Christmas markets designed to inspire giving to non-profits helping needy populations. There, I was astounded by how many Christian children and parents were unaware of Saint Nicholas’s relationship to Santa. But they loved learning about it. I began wondering if Christmas would be less commercialized if families better understood how Santa Claus evolved from Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myrna. 

Our secular Santa has been hijacked by marketeers to stimulate our desires and their money-making. He often seems different from the real Saint Nicholas, who represents kindness to children and love of neighbor. 

Do not get me wrong. I’m a fan of jolly, red-suited and white-trimmed Santa. I love his twinkling eyes, rouged cheeks, flowing beard, and rounded face as described in the poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” and pictured in Thomas Nast’s gorgeous illustrations for Coca-Cola campaigns. I have no problem with Santa’s message of joy and generosity. 

What troubles me is that many people, young and old, perceive little relationship between today’s Santa and the actual Saint Nicholas, whose kindness targeted the poor. I dislike how history has been ignored as society focuses more on the commercial aspects of Christmas.

So, what can those who love Nicholas and the real Christmas spirit do to help others better understand and personalize Santa as more than a secular gift giver? I have a few ideas. 

We can help people remember that “Santa” means “Saint,” and that jolly Saint Nick really is the Americanization of the 4^th century “Boy Bishop,” Nicholas, whose name means “hero of the people.” 

We can teach our children that Nicholas became a hero through a life devoted to generosity, especially toward the needy and to children, and that this work reflects the true meaning of Christmas. What if Nicholas lovers like me encouraged more families to learn about him— how he was an orphan from a land we now call Turkey, how he used the inheritance from his wealthy parents’ deaths to support other orphans, and how he devoted his life to serving the poor, the sick, and children facing hardship?

We could also share how the European traditions and legends that grew from Nicholas’s fame were kept alive by early immigrants to America. And what if our churches reenacted Nicholas’s story in December plays— portraying his childhood, his call to ordination, his generosity, the miracles he performed, his imprisonment under Emperor Diocletian for his beliefs, and his release by Constantine.  

We can also bring Saint Nicholas traditions into our own homes. Children can set their shoes out on December 5^th, the eve of Saint Nicholas’s Feast Day, to be filled with small treats in remembrance of Nicholas’s gifts to the poor. And on the Feast Day itself, December 6th, families could spend time planning how they might help those in need, too.

What if we helped children discover the universality of Santa Nicholas by learning his many names around the world? In Brazil he’s known as Papai Noel; in Germany, he is called the Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man) and Holy Sankt Nikolaus; in France, Pere Noel; in England, Father Christmas; in Hawaii, Kanakaloka; and in China, Shengdan Laore. Families could make a game of trying to quickly repeat his Dutch name, Sinterklaas—just as children in early New York did—to grasp how Sinterklaas gradually became Santa Claus.

To demonstrate his evolution and timelessness, we could offer more factual, historical, and engaging displays of artwork and period costumes featuring Saint Nicholas and Santa throughout the ages.  These would highlight how he was thinner and more solemn in a long robe, bishop’s hat, and staff before the 1800s, and then packed on the pounds and began smiling more over time. 

More families might tell the story that connects their hanging of Christmas stockings to the legend of Nicholas tossing gold coins through a chimney into three poor sisters’ stockings hung to dry. And perhaps more children and adults could hear how even candy canes trace their origins to the shape of Saint Nicholas’s curled bishop’s staff. 

All of us can emphasize that Nicholas was honored as a “Santa” (Saint) because of his virtue and good works, and that he stands for hope, joy, and love of neighbor well beyond Christmastime. 

Finally, to deepen the magic of Santa and Christmas, we could stress how all of us can become Santas too through our kindness during every season of the year.

---

Mike McGrew, Ph.D. is the author of the newly released picture book, The Boy Who Would Be Santa, by Kharis Publishing, available at your preferred bookseller.