You can always tell when Christmas is around the corner because all the TV commercials have snow in them. I could go on and on about the commercialization of Christmas and the secularization of an inherently Christian holiday, but you have no doubt heard that rant. One man is often blamed for the secular hijacking of Christmas. If you haven’t met him, you’ve surely seen him around town. I am writing, of course, about Santa Claus.
Santa gets unfairly blamed for the de-Christianization of Christmas. Rather than reject the jolly old elf outright, let us instead reclaim him as a Christian symbol. The name Santa Claus is derived from the Dutch Sinterklass, meaning St. Nicholas. Nicholas was a real-life man who lived in what is now Turkey and served as a bishop. Many stories tell of Nicholas’ generosity, especially toward children. One such story tells of a poor man and his three teenage daughters. The man could not afford a dowry for his daughters, meaning they were unable to marry. Without husbands, the girls would be left destitute after their father’s death. Not wanting to embarrass the family or draw attention to himself, Nicholas waited until nightfall and dropped three small bags of gold down the family’s chimney. The bags fell into stockings that had been hung by the fireplace to dry. With the gold as dowry, the daughters were married and, as the saying goes, lived happily ever after.
This story of Christian charity was retold and reworked until it lost its Christian meaning. How might seemingly secular Christmas traditions take on new meaning if we reclaimed their Christian meaning? As we approach Christmas, take some time to reflect on your family’s traditions and consider how they might be infused with new meaning. Look for ways they point you to God and give thanks for God’s wonderful gift of God’s Son.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Thomas W. Smith