The Real Story Of St. Nick And Other Tips For Parents Looking To Improve On Secular Santa

Dec. 6 is the feast day of Saint Nicholas, not the one who lives at the North Pole, but a fourth-century bishop in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) who achieved sainthood after his death. Saint Nicholas’s great love and generosity have inspired generations across the globe to follow in his footsteps, and yes, he is also the inspiration behind the modern Christmas tradition of Santa Claus.

Though there are many stories of Saint Nicholas’s life, one is particularly noteworthy: when he saved three girls from a destitute future of slavery. At that time, young women needed a dowry in order to marry, and the family of these three girls had no way of raising the funds to secure their future. Before the oldest was to be sold, Saint Nicholas crept to their house while the family slept and left a bag of gold in the young woman’s socks that she left hanging to dry by the fireplace. This money covered the dowry she needed. The next night, the same thing happened for the middle daughter. The father anticipated this secret benefactor would return the next night to help the third daughter, so he stayed up to learn the person’s identity. On the third night, Saint Nicholas returned, and the father spotted him and thanked him profusely. Nicholas instructed the man not to tell anyone and to direct his thanks to God. 

Though each culture, country, and family has their own rendition of this tale, at the heart of it is the man who chose to truly embody the message Jesus gave his disciples long ago: “So when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.” (Matthew 6:3-4)

What Role Should Santa Play in a Christian Home?

Christian parents today often wrestle with the modern traditions surrounding Santa Claus. While Saint Nicholas embodies the virtues of love, generosity, and care for the poor, Santa Claus seems to bring out selfishness and discontent in our children. Modern-day Santa seems to be the antithesis of his origin story. 

In addition, Santa has been equated with Christmas, a season where our focus should be on the blessed Babe born in Bethlehem, not the jolly old gentleman with magical powers.

The list of pitfalls continues. While creating this magical story for children, we are also lying to them which doesn’t sit comfortably. Many parents worry that as their child grows and their critical thinking develops, discovering the truth about Santa will erode their trust in the people that perpetuated that story. 

Another challenge is one of equity. Why does Santa, with all the Christmas magic and elf labor at his fingertips, give rich kids Nintendos and poor kids socks and toothbrushes? Many kids who are either poor, in foster care, or whose family simply just had a challenging year are aware of the inequities and have some level of understanding of the reality that different parents