As a child, I used to love singing the song “I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus.” I don’t recall anymore if I believed that Santa was the one who would give us gifts on Christmas Day. I think that if I did though, it didn’t take me long to figure out that my parents were the real “Santas” in the family.
Now that I am a parent myself, I make it a point to try my darndest to teach our kids the truth, based on what we believe in as a family. Because of our homeschooling, I have come to learn so much myself, especially as a Catholic.
One of the things I’ve come to discover during our homeschool “adventures” this Advent is this: Santa Claus – who has sadly become the more “famous” Christmas icon, more than the Christ Child Himself – actually traces his roots back to the Catholic saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children.
St. Nicholas with children postcard image taken from www.stnicholascenter.org
Today, December 6, we Catholics celebrate the Memorial Day of Saint Nicholas. According to Holy Heroes, a "memorial" is a lesser sort of feast day, so many Catholics just call them all "feast days," although there are actual "feast" days and extra special feast days called "solemnities."
Here’s a short video about Saint Nicholas from Holy Heroes’ Advent Adventure collection:
You can also read more about him on the St. Nicholas Center website, which is full of useful information, stories, games, ideas on how to celebrate the Memorial Day of Saint Nicholas, and so much more!
A depiction of St. Nicholas giving a poor man money for his daughters’ dowry.
As for us, we decided to include a few stories about Saint Nicholas in our evening routine last night with the kids, particularly the ones below:
And Now We Call Him Santa Claus – A nice story about St. Nicholas and how he “evolved” to be called Santa.
A St. Nicholas Story (or The Fiercest Little Animal in the Forest) – The message of this story struck me personally, since I have been “fierce” at times with the children lately, ever since I got sick last November 25. (I am actually still recovering, and yes, I wrote my blog post last week while dealing with body aches and chills! I just really wanted to share our Advent family traditions with you, dear readers!)
The Real Santa – Another good story about St. Nicholas and how he helped others.
I read the stories with the kids before we did our nightly Jesse Tree prayers. Then, I told them to place their slippers near the front door, in anticipation of getting a surprise from St. Nicholas. (I got this idea from here.)
This morning, I hope the kids will be delighted to find the packets of coins and sweets in their slippers, placed there “secretly” by Saint Nicholas (aka Mama, hehe.) I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
The kids’ surprise treats from St. Nicholas – each package says “Dear ____ (name of child), Jesus loves you! Share your blessings! Love, Saint Nicholas”
Including saints like St. Nicholas in our daily lives is one way we can incorporate “the holy” in our seemingly mundane routines. It is also a way for our faith to become “alive” – something tangible, real, and yes, even fun most times. After all, God loves each and every one of us, including our kids, and wants us to be happy and at peace, knowing that He has the BEST plan for us!