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