The Real Santa

Most of us learned about Santa Clause as children. We were told that Santa knew who was naughty and who was nice, and if we were good all year, Santa would leave an abundance of toys for us under the Christmas tree. We also learned about his toy making elves, his flying reindeer, his home at the North Pole, etc. Like our parents before us, most of us passed these stories and traditions down to our own children.

While all of this seems well and good, there is a problem. Nothing that we were told about Santa Clause is true. However, many of our Christmas traditions are based on the life of the real Santa Clause. The hanging of stockings, setting out milk and cookies for Santa, leaving food for Santa’s reindeer, Santa coming down the chimney and toys being left under the Christmas tree all come from the life of Saint Nicholas of Myra.

Below you will find some basic information and two short stories about Nicholas to help you teach your children about the real Santa Clause.

Basic Info about Saint Nicholas of Myra:

Saint Nicholas lived about 240 years after Christ. He was born on March 15, 270 in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) which was part of the Roman Empire. He died on December 6, 343 at the age of 73.

The American name “Santa Clause” comes from the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas, “Sante Klaas”.

Nicholas was an only child. His parents were very wealthy Greek Christians who raised him to live for Christ.

From an early age, Nicholas fasted and prayed every Wednesday and Friday to prove his devotion to God. He would also shave part of his head, a custom in his day to demonstrate one’s love for Christ and humility before Him.

When Nicholas was 17, his parents became very sick and died, leaving all of their wealth to him. He eventually sold their possessions and used the money to help the poor.

After his parent’s death, he went to live with his uncle, a bishop in the port city of Patara on the Mediterranean Sea. His uncle continued to raise Nicholas in the ways of the Lord. Nicholas read the Scripture at church (most people were illiterate at this time) was ordain as a priest by his uncle and eventually became a bishop in the city of Myra.

As an adult, Nicholas was arrested and imprisoned for his faith. Upon his release, Nicholas continued to preach the Good News of Christ and worked hard to have fellow Christians freed from prison.

Nicholas was considered to be a man of great faith who had a reputation of praying for the sick and seeing them recover. Because of this, Saint Nicholas was also called Nicholas the Wonderworker. He was also well known for his giving of gifts in secret.

Numerous churches have been dedicated to Nicholas or named after him. More than 400 churches in England alone are dedicated to him. His portrait has been placed on coins and many have paintings also bear his image.

In the years after his death, Nicholas was considered to be the patron saint of sailors. Many churches dedicated to him are near the coast so they can be seen from the sea. He is also the patron saint of children and Russia.

Saint Nicholas and the Stormy Sea:

Nicholas would often travel by ship to the Holy Land. On one of these trips he dreamed that a terrible storm would over take the ship. He told the sailors about this the next morning and added, “The Lord will protect us.” Shortly after telling this to the sailors, a violent storm arose. Even after lowering the sails, the sailors could not control the ship. They found Nicholas and begged him to pray. As Nicholas prayed the storm ceased.

After the storm ended, they noticed that one of their fellow sailors had fallen from a mast during the storm and was killed when he hit the deck. Nicholas prayed for him and he came back to life. The sailors were amazed for the sailor experienced no pain and had no injuries.

Stockings, Chimneys, Food for Santa, Toys and Candy:

The most famous story about Nicholas is how he helped a poor man and his three daughters. In those days, a woman needed a dowry before she could get married. The poor man couldn’t afford this, meaning his daughters would remain unmarried and suffer public shame. The poor man decided to sell the oldest daughter as a slave and use the money to marry off the two younger daughters. But, at the last minute he decided not to go through with the plan.

Nicholas heard about this and decided to help. Because they were so poor, the daughters had only one pair of stockings each. Every night they would wash them and hang them over the fireplace to dry. After they all went to sleep, Nicholas placed a gold coin inside one of the stockings. The poor man was then able to marry off his oldest daughter. This is where the tradition of hanging stockings originates.

When the poor man’s second daughter was nearing the age of marriage, Nicholas put a gold coin in her stocking as well. Once again the poor man was able to marry off his daughter. By the time the third daughter came of age, the poor man had grown curious and wanted to discover who was putting the gold coins in his daughter’s stockings.

The poor man decided to hide in order to catch the person responsible for the gold coins. Nicholas found out about the poor man’s plan to catch him. So, he climbed up on the poor man’s roof and dropped the third coin down the chimney. Once again, the poor man was able to marry off his daughter. This is where the story of Santa sliding down the chimney originates.

Even though Nicholas went to great lengths to keep his giving a secret, the truth finally came out. After Nicholas died people began celebrating his birthday. Children would put food out for Nicholas and his donkey. This is where leaving food for Santa and his reindeer originates. The next morning the food would be replaced with toys and candy. This is where the tradition of toys under the tree and candy in stockings originates.

Conclusion:

As a parent and grandparent, I believe it is better to tell children the truth. I would rather tell stories about a man who loved God, who prayed for the sick and who helped the poor, than about a fictitious character that used magic. As a Christian, I can’t teach my children about magic. But, I can teach them to love God, pray for others and help people less fortunate. I believe it is best to give our children an example of Christ at Christmas. After all, Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birth.