‘I believe in Santa Claus!’ Or at least I did, until I reached 36 years of age.
It then came as a tremendous blow to find out that it was Clement Moore’s poem ‘The Night Before Christmas’ which was instrumental in painting the current image of Father Christmas – a jolly, rotund character transported around the globe by eight flying reindeer.
It then came as a further shock to find out that he never wore a red suit at all!
…at least, not until the 1920’s when Coca Cola used Santa in advertising promotions, and portrayed him as a red suited, bearded, and jolly bearer of gifts.
And then, just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, a lifetime’s ambition to go to Lapland at Christmas was blown away when I found out he certainly does not live at the North Pole!
I spent a year in the wilderness, recovering from shattered illusions – when suddenly, like the North Star itself, a light began to twinkle again. I began again to wonder, and I began again to believe. Sometime, somewhere, this benevolent fellow surely must have existed.
Almost 2000 years ago a religious man named Nicholas lived in Lycia (Asia Minor – present day Turkey).
He was born in the city of Patara, around 270 AD, and travelled to Palestine and Egypt when young.
By the age of 30 he had been made a Bishop. In later times, Nicholas was elevated to become a Saint.
Many miracles were associated with him, and he became the ‘friend of all children’.
According to legend, there was a poor man with three daughters, who could not afford a dowry for them to be married.
Nicholas was aware that the poor man would have no choice but to sell the girls into slavery.
One night, he secretly dropped a bag of gold into the house to enable the eldest daughter to be married. More gold appeared mysteriously, and the second daughter was too rescued from a life as a slave.
Determined to uncover his secret benefactor, the poor man hid until he caught Nicholas throwing in the gold – which that night just happened to land in the youngest daughter’s stocking, drying by the fire!
Nicholas begged the man to keep his identity a secret (he did not want praise from the people) – but good secrets are hard to keep.
He was soon suspected of a number of other anonymous gifts to the poor, giving selflessly in his service to God.
His fame spread rapidly through the ages and throughout Europe. Over 2000 churches are named after him- more than 400 in the UK. He has been the patron saint of Russia, Greece, children, sailors, prisoners, bakers and wolves!
Around the year 1087, the relics of St Nicholas were taken from Lycia, and transported to Italy.
To this day the holy relics of St. Nicholas are lying in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Nicholas in the city of Bari, located on the shore of the Adriatic Sea. Based on his skull, scientists have even created images of how he may have looked.
The name ‘Kris Kringle’ comes from the German for Christ Child – Christkindl. ‘Santa Claus’ comes from the contracted form of the Dutch for St Nicholas – Sinterklaas.
We’ve changed his outfit from black to red, we’ve unflatteringly altered his figure, we’ve given him a most impractical form of transport – but we have not changed the reasons why the legend of St Nicholas persists.
Goodness, kindness to those less fortunate than ourselves, the joy of giving – those reasons which elevated Nicholas to a Saint are the reasons which keep him alive today, and for always, as long as faith, hope and charity exist in the hearts of Men.
Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, St Nicholas – which ever name is currently fashionable – I believe in you!
Jacky Long
Bay Life, Writer in Residence 2013-14
