Who Is Santa Claus?

I recently learned that my son (Ian) made a Facebook posting saying that my wife and I should never have pretended that there was a Santa Claus. His Facebook note tells the world that we “completely abused my trust in them,” and we now “feel bad” that we ever did that. “I’m not,” Ian says, “going to do the same thing to my kids whether they believe me or not.”

Ian goes on to say: “I believed in [Santa Claus] until 5th grade. My friends told me that Santa wasn’t real, but I didn’t listen to them because my parents told me otherwise, and I completely trusted my parents because my parents had never lied to me. When they told me that Santa wasn’t real, I went upstairs and stayed in my room for the majority of Christmas Eve night, and I completely lost trust in my parents. To this day, I still . . . give them crap about it.”

My son’s attitude toward Santa Claus is both right and wrong. It is certainly true that too much emphasis is placed on the commercial aspects of Christmas. Kids are obsessed with receiving gifts from Santa Claus instead of celebrating Christmas as the birth of our Lord. Everything about Christmas is distorted in order to make a buck. And historians note that our modern day image of Santa Claus as a jolly fat guy with a beard and red suit was actually invented by Coco-cola in the 1960s.

Does “the Santa Claus myth” serve any useful non-commercial purpose? It is worth recalling that our present day notion of Santa Claus is based on the life of a real person, St. Nicholas of Myra. He was a 4th century Greek Bishop of Myra, which is part of the present day country of Turkey. Nicholas was a very devout Christian. And he secretly gave gifts to people in need, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him. He also arranged for wheat to be delivered to starving people in Greece, and it is said that the wheat was “multiplied” by virtue of the fact that the amount given far exceeded what it was expected to be.

The legend of Saint Nicholas is acknowledged by Catholic and Orthodox Christians. He is also honored by various Anglican and Lutheran churches. Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated on Dec. 6th, and it is a day to remember who Nicholas was, especially his reputation for being a charitable giver of gifts. The American Santa Claus is derived from these legends. “Santa Claus” is itself derived from the Dutch word “Sinterklaas”.

Many of you may not be convinced that “the legend of Santa Claus” is a good thing. Exchanging gifts on Christmas is not a bad thing, however; and letting children be children is also okay. It is only when the notion is carried too far that it is harmful. As far as my son is concerned, he is free to skip the Santa Claus story with his kids if he so desires, but I hope he does not forget to celebrate the magic of the Christmas season. I hope he not only honors Christmas as the feast of Jesus Christ’s birth, but also remembers to share holiday good will with his family and friends.