Happy St Nicholas Day!--by Linden Malki

Today (December 6) is a church festival that has gotten blended into Christmas: St Nicholas' Day.  Yes, there is good evidence that there really was a Saint Nicholas.  He lived in the 300's AD, in  Myra, on the southwest coast of Asia Minor (now Turkey), at that time a Greek area.  It was a major trading city; is mentioned in Acts 27:4-6 as a stop on Paul's journey to Rome from Caesarea for trial after his arrest in Jerusalem.  There were churches in this area before 100 AD; the first bishop of the area was martyred by the Romans in 95 AD.  Nicolas was born here to a wealthy Christian family, but his parents died when he was  young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the
money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

The most famous story we have of Nicholas is his generosity to a poor family whose three daughters faced a situation where the parents were too poor to provide financially for them to marry, which left them with an uncertain future after their parents would be gone.  As each of the girls grew to marriageable age, a bag of gold pieces appeared through a window (or possible down a chimney) and traditionally landed in a shoe or stockings.  He became a well-known and respected leader in the Christian community of his day.  There are many stories of his care for children, and his anonymous generosity.  Within a century of his death on December 6, 343 AD,  he was considered a saint, and a church was built and dedicated to him in Myra in 520 which is more or less still standing. That area was overrun by Moslems in 809 and then again in 1087, but there is still a bishop assigned to the area.  The church was acquired by the Russian Tsar in 1868, who began a restoration, which is still underway.  The first worship service in several centuries was held on Dec 6, 2011.

The stories of St Nicholas and the tradition of giving gifts to children in his name spread throughout Europe, and came to America with the English and Dutch settlers. The Dutch  "Sinte Niklaas" got transformed into "Santa Claus", and folk stories grew and spread over the years, with his bishop's dark red robe and pointed hat turned into a red furry suit and tassled cap. With a festival day in December and the tradition of gift-giving, in modern America Santa became part of the Christmas celebration, which also celebrates a special Gift to mankind.

When I was a kid asking about Santa, my mom told me that we see many Santa's helpers around town at Christmas time, but the real Santa Claus was the Spirit of Giving.  I told my kids, and Sunday School classes, that "Santa" gifts are gifts given without wanting thanks or returns, but given in the spirit of a man of God who is remembered for his love for children and those in need.  As our children grow up, we can teach them to honor this memory by  giving out of love, as part of a community of people who love in the name of God's Son, the most important Christmas gift of all.