~Santa Claus and St. Nicholas~

~~~Merry Christmas~~~

Santa Claus and St. Nicholas

Everybody loves Santa Claus. He embodies holiday cheer, happiness, fun, and gifts—warm happy aspects of the Christmas season. How do Santa Claus and St. Nicholas differ?

Santa Claus belongs to childhood;
St. Nicholas models for all of life.

Santa Claus, as we know him, developed to boost Christmas sales—the commercial Christmas message;
St. Nicholas told the story of Christ and peace, goodwill toward all—the hope-filled Christmas message.

Santa Claus encourages consumption;
St. Nicholas encourages compassion.

Santa Claus appears each year to be seen and heard for a short time;
St. Nicholas is part of the communion of saints, surrounding us always with prayer and example.

Santa Claus flies through the air—from the North Pole;
St. Nicholas walked the earth—caring for those in need.

Santa Claus, for some, replaces the Babe of Bethlehem;
St. Nicholas, for all, points to the Babe of Bethlehem.

Santa Claus isn't bad;
St. Nicholas is just better.


—J. Rosenthal & C. Myers

More?

St Nicholas as well as Bishop Nicholas(present at the third ecumenical council), became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children,his concern for sailors and ships....Nicholas is also known for coming to the defence of the falsely accused, often preventing them from being executed, and for his intercession on behalf of sailors and other travelers.........Άγιος Νικόλαος , Agios Nikolaos,

He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, but is now commonly identified with Santa Claus.....

he New York Historical Society held its first St. Nicholas anniversary dinner on Dec. 6, 1810. John Pintard commissioned artist Alexander Anderson to create the first American image of Nicholas for the occasion. Nicholas was shown in a gift-giving role with children's treats in stockings hanging at a fireplace.

The jolly elf image received a big boost in 1823, from a poem destined to become immensely popular, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," now better known as "The Night Before Christmas."

Church celebrates the 'real' St. Nicholas

helen

Very Interesting! Thank you for posting this and have a very merry CHRISTmas.

Hi Regina/
And a very Merry Christmas to you too!

I thought I would post this, since not many people know the true life of Saint Nicholas....Widely known and celebrated once upon a time, but forgotten by many!




helen