Meet the Real St. Nick

The Christmas season is filled with busy schedules, parties, decorations, and joy. It is arguably the most special time of year.  

Unfortunately, the secular nature of the holiday has dominated its celebration to such a large degree that we can too often neglect to remember the religious roots of the season. Of course, we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, but we can also learn from the real Santa Claus on how best to celebrate the coming of the Son of God.

St. Nicholas (270-345) was a real historical person. When he was a young boy his parents were very involved in giving aid to those who were sick in their community. Their service to the poor and ill ultimately cost them their lives when they contracted a disease from those they were giving aid to. Their wealth was left to their son, Nicholas.

He later became a Bishop of Myra off the coast of Turkey and was known for his love for the poor and care for those in need. What he became most well-known for was his anonymous gift-giving in the middle of the night.

Nicholas first performed this act of charity to the family of a widower who had three daughters. The tradition says that the father was worried that if he died his daughters would be sold into slavery in order to survive due to his poverty. Nicholas left gold coins through the window of their home on three consecutive nights in order to provide for their needs.

St. Nick’s charitable heart and desire to give to those in need in a secretive way later gave rise to the tradition of Santa Claus. This name and practice of gift-giving originated in Holland, where he was called Sinterklaas (a Dutch variant of the name St. Nicholas). As the Dutch came to America, the tradition was carried with them and later took off across the world as a tradition of giving gifts anonymously at night.

The reality that we celebrate on Christmas today truly arose from the combination of the gift of all gifts: God becoming one of us in order that we may know Him personally and that He may save us—along with providing each other with gifts in a way that would transmit our love for each other. In this way, we can learn from the real St. Nick as we prepare to celebrate Christmas.

First, we can learn the meaning of the notion of gift. For Christians, this is communicated through the word “grace.” This comes from the Greek word charis. It can literally be defined as “free gift” or “that which gives joy.”

When it comes to the grace that God gives, it is something that is undeserved and it communicates His very life. In that sense, God’s grace enlivens the human spirit and allows one to be joyful even in the face of trials.

Grace also reminds us that, like the gifts of St. Nicholas, it is the reception of gifts that we don’t deserve that are the most special. The anonymous nature of St. Nick’s gifts as well as his willingness to do this at night brought the sense to his receivers that they were special enough to be taken care of by someone they did not even know.

Parents love their children like this. We seek to bring great joy and surprise to our kids by giving them special gifts on their birthdays or at Christmas. The surprise nature of the gift is meant to show that our kids deserve to be loved above and beyond what they could imagine.

God desires to love us in the same way, but on an infinite level. That is why He takes on human flesh. That is why He was born in the middle of nowhere to peasant parents. God’s ultimate Christmas gift is that He comes so close to us that He becomes one of us.

When we provide gifts of a special quality to our loved ones, or those in need during the holidays, we can love like God does.

Second, grace and gifts provide joy. The gifts that St. Nick gave always had a human connection. They were meant to reveal that even those who thought they were insignificant were loved and being taken care of.

This is a major challenge for us in modern times. Normally, our gifts are items that are not essential to the human condition. While there can be creativity in what we give, perhaps this Christmas, St. Nicholas is challenging us to consider how we can give to those who have nothing.

Maybe there is a winter clothing drive near us or a church that organizes meals for those in need during Christmas. Whatever the act of good grace is this season, we can all give like St. Nick. Because the real reason for all the gifts is to share the good news that God became man so that man might become like God—there is no greater gift than that.

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