Santa
Claus: Saviour, Warrior, Protector?
Christians have three options when it comes to
culture, including culture’s approach to Christmas. We can reject it
and try to have no part with it, segregating ourselves. We can
receive it and accept it as good. We can redeem it, seeking to
transform what we can for good without necessarily endorsing the whole.
Since Santa and Father Christmas are pervasive in
our culture it is nearly impossible to reject them outright, especially in
terms of our children’s experience at school and nursery and among friends.
They are here to stay. That does not mean as parents we can only receive
the entirety blindly. The third option is to redeem.
Fact
that is better than fiction
The historical roots of Santa Claus are one example
of redeeming Christmas. The
historical roots behind today’s Santa only increase our children’s excitement and
thrill at Christmas. The facts are
better than the fiction – by a mile!
We have told our kids these true stories behind the
‘mythical’ Santa Claus. We play-act his
heroic deeds, wonder about his motivations, draw pictures of ‘Santa Claus’ not
bearded and jolly, but facing danger and saving people and helping others – the
true Santa Claus. And of course talk
about how that original man was driven to such acts because Jesus was
his forever king.
So who was the original Santa Claus?
The Truth about Santa Claus
Santa Claus was a
real person, though many of the aspects of today's character have been added
such as the flying reindeer, living in the North Pole, and delivering presents
to every child in one night. Today’s Santa is a combination of a
true man and some mythical extras.
A Gift-Giver
The myths
surrounding Santa Claus derive from the very real person of Saint
Nicholas. Nicholas was born in the third century in Patara, Turkey
to an affluent family. When young his parents died tragically but
had raised him as a Christian, which led him to spend his significant
inheritance helping the poor. He frequently gave gifts to children, sometimes
even hanging socks filled with treats and presents.
A Courageous Leader
As an adult he was
a well-loved Christian leader, eventually voted the Bishop of Myra, a port city
Paul visited (Acts 27:5-6). Nicholas reportedly also travelled to the legendary
Council of Nicaea to defend the deity of Jesus Christ in A.D. 325. He died on
December 6, 343 and was canonized as a saint. The anniversary of his death
became the St. Nicholas holiday when gifts were given in his memory. He
remained a very popular saint among Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Some
two thousand churches were or are named after him. The holiday in his honour
eventually merged with Christmas and moved to December 25th.
A Freedom Bringing Saviour
Nicholas also
risked his own life and freedom intervening to rescue young girls and women
from being forced into the sex trade. One story records how he saved
three sisters by secretly placing gold coins in their stockings, hung out
to dry, until they had accumulated enough money to buy their freedom.
Their 'owners', knowing their example might encourage other girls to do the
same, them sort to imprison then. Nicholas led a group of men in a
midnight raid, freeing the girls and paying for them to begin a new life
elsewhere.
A Forgotten Hero
During the
Reformation Nicholas fell out of favour with Protestants who did not accept
canonising certain people. In Holland his legend as Sinterklass
lived on though most countries gradually forgot him. In Germany, Martin Luther
replaced him with the ‘Christ-child’ as the object of holiday celebration
called ‘Christkindl’. This became pronounced Kris Kringle and became another
name for Santa Claus.
Mythical Extras
Legends became
attached to this historical figure.
There was a myth in Nicholas' day that a demon was
entering people's homes to terrorize children and that Nicholas could cast him
out. There was a Siberian myth (isn't that near the North Pole?)
that a magical-shaman entered people's homes through their chimneys to leave
them mushrooms as gifts. He would hang them in front of the fire to dry where
reindeer would eat them and become intoxicated. The shaman and his
deer were believed in be able to fly. Hence our modern image of Santa
Claus traveling from the North Pole to slide down chimneys and leave presents
on fireplaces before flying away with reindeer.
Redeeming Santa Claus
The real Saint Nick
was a wonderful man who loved Jesus and served him faithfully, generously and
bravely. We do not need to reject Santa Claus nor receive him as culture as
defined him. We can and should redeem him, especially for our
children as he points to Jesus and true devotion to Jesus. It’s a true
story of a great Christian full of adventure and fun and victory - what child
won't enjoy that Christmas reality told them?
How Santa Claus
became Father Christmas is a whole other story more to do with popular fizzy
drinks and an emerging market of teenagers in the mid-20th century!
*Edited version of an
article I first wrote December 2012.
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