DADDY, IS THERE REALLY A SANTA CLAUS?

From the time that our kids were little, I determined that I didn't want to mislead them about Santa Claus. Now I also want to be truthful with our grandkids. But I don't want to play the role of the Grinch! So my answer, when the direct question comes, is "There was a real man named St. Nicholas who lived many years ago. He was kind to children and poor people, and over many years his name changed to Santa Claus. Our Santa Claus is a fun way that we remember St. Nicholas at Christmas."

Here's one way to tell the story:



HOW SAINT NICHOLAS BECAME SANTA CLAUS

Saint Nicholas, the legends say,

became our Santa in this way:

while passing by a widow's door

his heart was moved to help the poor.

Her humble hut brought to his mind

the  little shed Joseph did find

on Christmas Eve so long ago,

when Christ was born to Mary. So

he went to church and knelt in prayer

to ask a way that he could care

for widows and for chidren, too;

and as he stood, he spied his shoe!

His shoe?! An idea came to mind:   

"I know just the place to find

a way to do what I will do!

The answer's here inside my shoe!"

He took a stocking(!) from the shelf,

and – all in secret, by himself –

he poured a few gold coins inside,

and said, "I’ll take a Christmas ride!”

No--no reindeer – no, not yet.

Don't rush the story – don't forget

that we're still at the early part.

He rode off in a donkey cart!

They trotted up the village road

and found the widow's small abode.

"Shh, you stay here," said good St. Nick,

"While I go play my little trick."

He tossed the sock as he passed by,

but then his aim went far too high!

(The old saints eyes were old, you see.)

He threw it down the chim-n-ey!

(And ever since, on Christmas Eve,

like all good children, we believe

St. Nicholas with his sock of gold

will find all Christmas chimneys cold!)

The widow thought she heard a sound

and toward her hearth she turned around,

and there upon the ashes cold

she found a stocking full of gold!

In her happiness she knew

exactly what she had to do:

A feast for the whole neighborhood!

(The good saint's deed was doing good!)

And Nicholas kept giving more,

kept finding ways to help the poor.

Stockings, sacks. And sometimes toys

were in his bag for girls and boys.

All this started way down south;

but soon – by song and word-of-mouth –

the story told on desert sands

had found its way to winter lands.

So way up north, in ice and snow,

the donkey – well, he had to go;

he's grazing in the southern sun.

It's reindeer now for St. Nick's run!

And stockings? It's not hard to see

that they're still near the chim-n-ey;

but not down in the fireplace –

the mantle's a much nicer place.

And lips like cherries? Twinkling eyes?

Reindeer flying through the skies?

All that about "The Night Before...?"

The credit goes to Clement Moore.*

But what about old Santa's name?

you said St. Nicholas became

the Santa that we know today.

Has Nick's name changed along the way?

That's easy. Say it two times, fast:

Saint Nicholas, San-ti-calas;

now, two times more, don't stop to pause:

San-ti-calus – Hey! "Santa Claus!"

Some things change, some stay the same.

And Santa Claus by any name

is still the spirit of St. Nick,

still chuckling at his little trick.

And we, with stockings lined up straight

on Christmas Eve can hardly wait.

We go to bed, we wake to see

what Santa brings for you and me.

But there's a lesson we learn, too,

when Santa visits me and you.

It's from a story, long and old:

The widow shared good St. Nick's gold.

Saint Nicholas, the legends say,
became our Santa in this way:

While passing by a widow's door

his heart was moved to help the poor.

                                                                                                    
 © Richard Jorgensen

This  story is based (very loosely!) on legends that grew up around the historical

figure of Nicholas, a bishop who lived in Turkey in the fourth century. Nicholas

was renowned for his good deeds, and was later declared to be “Saint Nicholas.”

*Most of our images and traditions about Santa Claus today come from

the delightful poem, “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” (“’Twas the Night Before

Christmas”) written by The Rev. Clement Moore for his children on Christmas

Eve, 1822.