St. Nicholas has been a constant topic in our household over the past few weeks. My husband, David, has been working on his church’s 10th annual Breakfast with Santa. I have been serving on a dedicated team about Breakfast with St. Nicholas. We have discussed logistics, legends, and of course gifts.
Our Breakfast with St. Nicholas is extra special because it has less of a secular side. It is actually about the Christian traditions of St. Nicholas. I just heard a new one, recently, from Fr. Roman. The tradition states that St. Nicholas, a bishop, used to go on visits bringing traditional candy for children. Another tradition states that he used to bring a book to note whether the children were good. They would recite poems and receive gifts.1
With the Episcopal churches emphasis on grace it makes more sense to emphasize the gifts without the punishment. Our reaction to God’s grace tends to be an outpouring of good behavior and kindness. For example, the children at Eiland Elementary have seen God’s grace in the mentors. The response of many children is filling boxes for Seafarers with their mentors. Both the mentors and the mentees are embodying this spirit of generosity.
On December 11 from 9-noon St. Dunstan’s will have a Breakfast with St. Nicholas. This event will include a traditionally dressed bishop who talks to the children. This saint exudes God’s generosity in his actions. Each child will receive a picture with St. Nicholas. The event is free, it is a gift to our community. The event also has three crafts, a bouncy house, and breakfast. Still, it is my prayer that this event about the saint will help inspire the generosity and love of Christ in others. The truth is, our culture needs St. Nicholas. We need a tangible example of what generosity looks like to understand the gift of Christ. This looks different at different areas.
When I talk to Faith about Santa Claus, she still believes he is “the one who gives presents.” He is called Claus because he has long nails. Grace, on the other hand, finally admitted that she did not believe that a saint from over 1,500 years ago was roaming the earth with reindeer and bringing her presents. My perceptive little girl asked then, who St. Nicholas was in our faith. I explained that he was a saint that inspires the generosity of our hearts.2 It broke my heart, just a bit, that she moved beyond the phase of “believing,” yet in another way her new idea of being part of the St. Nicholas tradition was just as important. Grace now helps be “Santa.” I hope you find ways to be St. Nicholas to those you love.
1 To learn more about Santa myths go to https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-nicholas
2 To learn more about saints, please go to: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/saint/
