Choosing to Celebrate Christmas Year-Round

I didn’t grow up believing in Santa Claus. But as a child, I still enjoyed the image he provided for a special and “magical” season. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I made the connection between Santa and Saint Nicholas. And it has been through reading about the life and legends of this Early-Church saint that my appreciation for a variety of Christmas traditions has deepened.

First of all, though it doesn’t really involve Saint Nicholas, the idea of the 12 Days of Christmas has long fascinated me. I was not raised in a traditional high church, but I understand that there is an old understanding of the first day of Christmas being the 25th of December and the twelfth being the 5th of January, which is the day before the Epiphany celebration. So, in light of the fact that we are still in the midst of the 12 Days, I want to dig into the story of the great Christian saint who morphed into Santa.

A Jesus-Follower from the Very Beginning

He was born around 270 AD to Christian parents in what is today eastern Turkey. Christianity was still considered an “outlaw” sect by the emperors of Rome and thus was not a safe religion to align with. But Nicholas’ parents committed themselves to raising their son in the ways of Christ.

When he was still a boy, both his parents died in a plague. He went to live with his uncle who was an abbot in a local monastery. His Christian education continued, and he was eventually ordained as a priest. It wasn’t too long after that, while still a young man, he was made bishop of the port city of Myra. Then a wave of Roman persecution, under the emperor Diocletian, swept the empire. Among thousands of others, Nicholas was jailed, tortured, and placed in solitary confinement. For five years he endured imprisonment and harsh conditions while continuously pressured to renounce his faith. It wasn’t until Constantine came into power that he was released. Christianity was then declared a legal religion in 313 AD through the Edict of Milan.

Nicholas went on to live a long life of proclaiming Christ, serving the poor and needy, caring for children. He boldly stood up to political and military leaders, defending the defenseless. By the time he died at age 73, fantastic stories were attached to his name. It was said that he intervened and challenged powerful government officials to save individuals from wrongful executions; he secured shiploads of food for his city when a famine threatened thousands with starvation. And miracles were said to happen through and around him. His image would appear to sailors who thought they were going to die in storms, comforting and leading them to safety. It was said that he even raised several children from the dead who had been murdered. But the most famous story of Saint Nicholas secured his reputation as a GIFT GIVER.

The “Secret Santa”

Not too long after his parents died, he learned of a family who had come upon financial hardship. They had three unmarried daughters. And in that period of history, it was expected that a woman would have a dowry (resources to give to the groom’s family) to secure a marriage. The alternatives for unmarried women in a family without means for this payment was begging on the streets, prostitution, or to be sold into servitude.

Nicholas had received a sizable inheritance when his parents died. As he studied the scriptures and grew in his faith, he decided he needed to give it all away. So, one night he brought a bag of gold coins and dropped them through an open window into the destitute family’s house. One legend says the money landed in a stocking that hung by the fireplace to dry (hmm). The next morning, the father found the gold and praised God for this miracle. A suitable marriage for his oldest daughter was quickly arranged.

Upon seeing the joy this brought to the family, Nicholas repeated his midnight delivery. An additional bag of gold came through the open window. Again, the family was ecstatic to be the recipients of such extraordinary provision. A marriage for daughter number two was arranged. The father now anticipated yet another “miraculous” delivery to come for his third daughter. But he knew their “angel” had to have some physical form, and he was determined to see who God was using. So, he began to stay up each night by the window, waiting.

Many nights passed. The father began to believe the gifts had come to an end, short of a third dowry. And then, just as he was about to give up, a bag of gold dropped through the open window. The father was immediately out the door hurrying after the mysterious figure. He finally grabbed hold of the edge of the fleeing man’s cloak. Upon recognizing who it was, the father could not stop kissing the benefactor’s hand. Nicholas asked that he tell no one about this deed. But it was (as it would be now) difficult to keep such generosity a secret.

A Model for Us All

Over the centuries, the stories multiplied, and the legends grew. Churches, to honor the saint, sprang up all over the world. Eventually Nicholas, the most popular of all the saints, became associated with Christmas and a pudgy little man in a red suit living at the North Pole (a legend that evolved from an 1823 American poem). Yet the origin of Mr. Claus is firmly rooted in a generous, passionate, and godly man who honored Jesus with his whole life. We should never forget such examples.

Why keep generosity and gift-giving cornered off to one day in December? Let’s choose to follow the jolly saint’s example all year round, pursuing a lifestyle of giving and holiness as part of following Jesus. How can you and I be more Nicholas-like this year?*

“It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Act 20:35).

Have a blessed and generous New Year!

Response:

• What ancient Christmas traditions can I explore to enrich my celebration of God’s most generous gift to the world?
• What other godly men and women can I model my life after?
• What choices can I make to remember and practice generosity this coming year?
• Jesus, how can I make 2026 more of a year focused on giving rather than merely seeking to have my needs met?

*For an easy-to-read overview of the saint’s life, The True Saint Nicholas by William J. Bennett is a great place to start (and there’s always Wikipedia).

(Edited and reposted from January 1, 2024 “Choosing a Jolly New Year”)