The War On Christmas - Part Two

Jesus Christ, the Man whose birth we celebrate every December, first entered the world with very little fanfare, surrounded not by extravagance and riches but rather by barn animals and poverty (the gifts of the Wise Men notwithstanding). He continued to live this life of poverty and humility for the next 30 years, never missing the chance to warn His followers of greed and selfishness, teaching that, “wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” He held disdain for those that put themselves before others and commanded His followers to love and serve the poor, widowed, and marginalized in society. Is this the type of life we associate with every holiday season?

I recently read an article that detailed the beginnings of the man we now know as Santa Claus. Long before Rudolph came and saved the day, Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop living in the 4th century in a place called Myra, a location somewhere in modern-day Turkey. Several legends surround his life, but I believe the one that stands out the most is of his generosity to three daughters living in a poor household. Because they were poor, the three girls had no money to bring into a marriage, which I assume in their culture was needed and necessary. As a result, no young men came calling when they neared the age to wed.

On the night before the oldest sister "came of age," Saint Nick, who is said to have inherited quite a sum of wealth from his parents, tossed a bag of gold through the window of their house. He did so to spare the girls the embarrassment of single life, which in those days typically led to a life of prostitution. St. Nicholas did the same thing the night before the middle daughter "came of age," and saved her from poverty as well.

The father was determined to find out who was responsible for this unmerited generosity. The night before his youngest daughter was ready to marry, he stayed up by the window. Nicholas, ever the more cunning, learned of the father's plan and instead dropped the bag of gold down the chimney, keeping his identity safe and creating a tale that is, in some form or fashion, still alive to this day.

The question is, what the heck has changed during the last 1700 years? Certain aspects of this early Christmas story still remain, but something has gone awry. The giving of gifts is certainly no longer anonymous in most cases, and I'd venture a guess that most gifts are given with the presumptuous knowledge that something is coming your way as well (perhaps I underestimate the world; perhaps it is just myself that holds such a selfish belief). I like to give gifts to those that I love, but something would certainly feel out of place if those that I loved gave me nothing in return. And what about those that I do not love?

Where did this disconnect between Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus come from? How did it grow to consume our understanding of gift giving in Western civilization? How can one slow down and try to revert back to the beginnings of the story?