Santa Claus or St. Nicholas?

Advent is upon us!

Sunday, I pulled out the Jesse Tree ornaments I painted last year along with our Advent wreath and stockings. Those are the only decorations that go up for a while until the Christmas tree as some point. Then Monday rolls around and Therese and Fulton are writing letters to Santa with a list of things they want.

hmmm.

We’re not sure where they got this idea. It was certainly not from us. Adam and I don’ t do Santa Claus. I know it’s a touchy subject and some readers probably think we’re only a hair shy of being scrooges. We’re not trying to take the “fun” out of the season. But we’ve been very careful the last few years about guiding the kids in what Advent and Christmas is really about– preparing our hearts and minds for the coming of Christ not only as the babe in the manger, but as the living God who nourishes us at every Mass. Secondly, we don’t want to lie to the kids about a Santa who brings them stuff.

St. Nicholas (not Santa Claus) has his place in the liturgy, on December 6, we celebrate his feast day with great joy! That is the day we open up our stockings. (I got the idea from my dear friend Misty that PJ’s make a great stocking suffer. So a couple of months ago, I got some nice cozy PJ’s for all the kids.)  It’s also around the time we make a fresh batch of bags of food for the homeless. And we make a run driving around to deliver the bags to  feed those that don’t have food and to teach the kids that St. Nicholas was a saint with a generous heart who gave to others and that is what we are called to do as well. The past couple of years  we’ve also taken the time to drive out to Burnet to Main Street Bethlehem to stay close to the reason for the season.

So how did we respond to their letters to Santa? Well, we talked with the kids about who Santa Clause really is…St. Nicholas. And what it means to be a Saint (ie. a holy man up in heaven now)…and how we talk to people in heaven (prayer)…and we should be like St. Nicholas and give to those who don’t have…and gifts and blessings that the children get are from Jesus and HE works through mom and dad and other friends in our lives.

When people come up to the kids and bring up Santa, I  simply say, “Right, we celebrate St. Nicholas on his feast day, Dec 6. We celebrate Jesus’ birthday on Christmas.”