Little Known Facts - The Santa Sheet

Santa Claus sometimes gets a bad rap in the Church today. Many parents choose to exclude his story from their Christmas celebration because they blame him for the over-commercialization of the holiday and associate him with a more pagan perspective. We're confident that if that's you - your mind will be changed and your heart softened if you join us on a little journey to get to know the man who inspired the myth.

*To read about our family's process of evaluating Christmas by God's measuring stick, Click Here.*

Was Santa Claus ever a real person? YES!

Who was he? The modern legend of Santa has grown from the life-story of a fourth century bishop who lived a larger-than-life testimony of faith, giving and servanthood. We'd like to introduce you to this bishop with a quick list of facts about his life, as recorded in history, and confirmed by the Catholic Church.

*Want to get the whole picture right away? Skip this list and go straight to the source: Click Here.*

Here's a list of just a few highlights from Nicholas' life that helped us to reconcile keeping his memory alive and associated with our family's Christmas traditions:

Note the dowry bags in his hand

• As a youth, Nicholas was orphaned at a young age. His parents were godly and well-off people who taught Nicholas to obey the Lord, and he gave away his entire inheritance to help the poor and needy in his community and beyond.
  
• One famous story tells of Nicholas secretly leaving gold coins for the newly poor daughters of a merchant who had lost his business in a fire. The girls each had men waiting to marry them, but the merchant couldn't afford either to keep the girls home or pay their dowries.
  
• He was chosen to become the Bishop of Myra (a town on what is now the southern coast of Turkey) while he was still a teenager.
  
• Myra endured two famines in his lifetime, one in 311 and another in 333. The Bishop convinced merchants traveling to Alexandria to give his town a portion of the grain they carried, and promised the Lord would replace it so they would arrive with the proper weight of grain. When the Lord fulfilled that promise, the emperor's ministers in Alexandria praised God for the miracle.
  
• The Bishop loved justice, and once had to take up a sword to release three innocent youths who were about to be executed. He also defended them by having their charges cleared so they could truly be free.
  
• The emperor imposed drastic taxes that threatened to cripple his townspeople, and the Bishop boldly asked for a hefty reduction, and found favor with the emperor. Church history says that the order to reduce the taxes miraculously reached Myra ahead of the Bishop, which preserved them when the emperor tried to change his mind. For over 100 years, the people of Myra enjoyed the tax break.
  
• Nicholas hated idolatry, and worked to destroy the shrines that were left in his province. He attacked the largest and most beautiful temple, that of Artemis, with such great power and resolve that it was totally destroyed, so much that it was reported the foundation stones were turned up to the top of the rubble and it's pinnacle was driven into the ground. It's ruins caused the people to worship and be in awe of God.

There are two more great facts about the Bishop of Myra that to us were the real meat of his contribution to the Christian faith, and we'll cover them in the next post.

-- Mikayla & Gregory Kayne

The St. Nick Dilemma - Blog

Arriving at a Conclusion

Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Pere Noel, Sinter Klas, whatever he's called around the world today, the legend of St. Nicholas is firmly rooted in Church history. We challenge anyone who's considering banning the jolly figure from their holiday to learn about the man who inspired the legend, his contributions to the Christian faith, and why memorializing him has become a global event.

In our family, we often take our traditions, desires, expectations, routines, etc to the Lord and lay all on the table to see what He would have us remove or change. It's easy to just keep moving with a status quo without taking time to ask God if our routines and traditions line up with His Word and His plan for us. Giving Him the proper place in our lives means He does have the authority to require us to make changes and sacrifices, even of things we may feel are benign or "normal."

We spent a few years breaking Christmas into pieces with the Lord, asking about all aspects, from whether or not we should have a tree to the purpose and effect of giving gifts, even whether or not the celebration of Christmas itself is even Scriptural. We consumed mountains of historical information studied various religious viewpoints from across the ages, and dug deep in the Word to be sure that we were remaining obedient and not unknowingly offending our great King.

In this blog, we'll be sharing just a bit of that research - what we found that pertains to Saint Nicholas - and we hope that you'll take the time to do your own digging and lay your traditions and closely held opinions on the Lord's table and let Him show you what His will is for your family.

The Saint Nicholas Dilemma - Blog

-- Mikayla & Gregory Kayne

Mik's Christmas Past

Not every family "does" Santa, but my parents did it up big. My parents decorated every square inch of our small home on Thanksgiving weekend without fail. Every ornament had a story, and the walls were lined with nails which were empty three quarters of the year, but came alive with garlands and lights on the day usually referred to as Black Friday. It was anything but black in my house.

I was raised as an only child, and spoiled beyond measure. I had toys in my room, toys in the basement, toys in the garage.  Every year on my birthday I'd get more toys and some old toys would make their way to the attic.  And Christmas, well, not only did I get more stuff, but my dad video taped the entire process under hot lights.

Mind you, this was the 70's.  We had a tripod in the corner of the living room with our big old video camera set up with the spotlight on top, and no Christmas activities could begin until that contraption was up and running.  I'm not sure the neighbors appreciated that blinding light pouring out of our window at 5:30 in the morning, but who cared.

My parents did the Santa business up right.  Every time I began to doubt, they'd go just a little farther to keep the magic alive.  I don't remember what I ever got from Santa, besides fistfulls of M&M's and every year a new doll.  I'm sure there was more in my stockings but I don't remember. I'd honestly have to watch those movies to jog my memory about what I ever got for Christmas.

I do remember the year I caught them at like 1 in the morning, setting everything up from "Santa."
I was maybe - 11?  12?  And although I had always treasured the belief that Santa was real, I was touched by the care they were taking and the fun they were having - all in the name of making Christmas fun for lonely old me.  At the time, I remember thinking back on all the creative things they had done to convince me Santa was real.  Boot prints on the roof, "tape recorded" scufflings of Santa & elves using my name as they left me gifts, special letters in return for my letters to him - oh, they went all out.

I guess some kids freak out when they learn Santa isn't real.  Some kids feel betrayed, lied to.  Maybe I was wise beyond my years...everyone always told me that, but I think all 'only children' end up that way.  To me it was simple and sweet.  Something that brought my parents great joy - being sneaky and keeping that innocent secret.  What harm had it done me?  None.  I enjoyed it, appreciated it, and instead of freaking out, I did something I'm not sure many kids have done. I decided to participate.

The next year, I took some of my Christmas shopping money and bought stockings for my mom & dad and sprung for the big bucks at Things Remembered to glitter-glue their names on the cuffs (so my handwriting wouldn't betray my secret!).  I filled them with candy and trinkets, colognes and lotions etc.  Then I waited quietly in my room until long after they had planted their Santa Magic in the living room and gone to bed.  I walked down the far left edge of the hallway so it wouldn't squeek, and I planted my own Santa Magic.  It was so fun!  I felt naughty & nice all at the same time!  That Christmas was the hardest for me to wait for - I could barely sleep.  Just in anticipation of THEIR surprise in the morning.

Who knows what I got that Christmas.

I made my own memory - I did something for someone besides myself, for once, and I learned the joy in selfless giving!  I was still young enough to think I'd fool them, and not so wise to realize I'd forever alter their Santa fun by betraying that I knew their game...but we all got through it just fine.  And so a new tradition was born.

That's what Christmas is all about.  Or what it should be all about. Making memories - learning about giving, not receiving, and having fun as a family.

My experience with Santa was special to me, and as my own family grew, I purposed to create a similar experience for our kids. Greg's family didn't "do" Santa, so, it was something he slowly grew to enjoy. It's a bit harder for the parents - especially the dads, I think, because it's hard to watch your children fawn over gifts they don't give you credit for purchasing.

Greg had to learn the value of giving with no expectation of gratitude or acknowledgement, which is how God asks us to give. Our kids practiced faith in a tangible way, believing based not on sight, but the evidence and finding the gifts that they had hoped for in secret under the tree. On this blog, we'll talk more about how to use the concept of Santa as a faith lesson for both children and adults in future posts.

-- Mikayla Skolaski

The St. Nick Dilemma - Blog

Raymond P. Gauer - the Man with the Vision

*The following is reprinted without edits from the last page of "A Special Place for Santa" by Jeanne Pieper which is out of print. You may still find this book online and in stores, but we are unable to link to a reliable source. Reprinted with permission.*

Combining the two major symbols of Christmas - the Christ Child and Santa Claus - in a way that connotes their proper relationship - the secular subservient to the sacred - is an idea that goes back many years with Ray Gauer. While raising his own large family he became increasingly concerned about the over-commercialization of the holy day. To depict Santa Claus - St. Nicholas - on his knees before the newborn Christ Child, seemed a most effective means to counteract that trend.

The idea - which he humbly considers inspired - reached fruition in the beautiful figurine of the KNEELING SANTA which he commissioned the internationally renowned sculptor, Rudolph Vargas, to create in 1976. It has evolved into an extensive line of related products that have won a place of honor in Christian homes, schools and churches.

Summer Vacation - Christmas Inspiration

In July of 2011, we (Gregory & Mikayla Kayne) were on vacation in Gatlinburg, TN with our family. At the time, Greg was a worship director for a mid-size church in Indiana, and had Christmas program thoughts rattling around in his head already. To get inspiration and cool off for a while, we visited the Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge. While our boys oohed and ahhed over the ornaments and displays, we came across a children's book called "A Special Place for Santa" by Jeanne Pieper. We read it on the spot and knew it just had to be a musical. Its message was so powerful and could throw sand on one debatable topic in the Church while being dangerously evangelical at the same time.

We bought that little book and by mid August "The Saint Nick Dilemma" had been written, blocked, and music was in production. The songs and the script fell together almost effortlessly as we dove into the history and lore about the man who became Saint Nicholas, and whose legend survives as Santa Claus today.

Initial response to the show was less than enthusiastic. A major publisher loved it, but didn't have faith that churches would buy it, so they passed. Our church elders were concerned that it might cause division in the church because people's convictions about Santa run so deep on both sides of the debate (or dilemma, as we prefer to call it), so the show was tabled. However, we know that God gave it to us for a reason, and that in His time, and at His discretion, it will resurface and be brought to life.

This blog will give background about the show, the book that inspired it, and tell the full story of Saint Nicholas as recorded by historians and the Catholic church. They don't Saint just anybody, and his story is timeless and beloved for very good reasons. We'll discuss our perspective on the modern day Santa dilemma that parents face, and we hope that no matter what your opinion, that if you've found your way to this little blog, that you'll agree to take a fresh look at St. Nick with us.

-- Mikayla & Gregory Skolaski

The Saint Nick Dilemma - Blog