St. Nicholas was a real person and so was Jesus. Whether one became Santa Claus and the other the Savior for our sins is up to your own individual belief system.
St. Nicholas was a Catholic Bishop of the Fourth Century, renowned for his piety and generosity. In those days, women had to have a dowry in order to get married. It wasn’t enough that the young man was getting the fair maiden for his bride, her father had to pay him something (money, livestock, a title, property – a dowry) to take her off of his hands in marriage. A remnant of the dowry system is the marriage tradition that the bride’s family pays for the cost of the nuptials. According to legend, when St. Nicholas heard that a poor young woman’s family didn’t have a dowry, which meant she couldn’t get married or worse – she may end up as a prostitute, he sprang into action. St. Nicholas threw some of his own gold through the open window and, according to legend, it landed in the girl’s stocking hanging up by the fire to dry. This is the origin of hanging stockings and receiving presents in them. In the early Christian Church, it was Christ’s resurrection that was celebrated (Easter) and his birth was of no significance. Consequently, it was St. Nicholas Day (December 6th) that was celebrated with gifts and traditions reminiscent of our current Christmas practices.
Dutch settlers brought their customs with them when they came to the New World and one of them was Sinter Klaus (St. Nicholas). “Sinter Klaus” slowly morphed into “Santa Claus”. In 1822 Clement Clark Moore wrote “A Visit From St. Nicholas” in which he described the “jolly old elf”. It is from Moore’s poem we get the first inkling of Santa’s suit, how he gets in and out of the house (down the chimney and then laying a finger aside of his nose – up again), the means of conveyance (the sleigh) as well as the number and names of the reindeer. Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist, drew Santa and added details such as Santa resides at the North Pole and has a big book of children listing who’s been naughty or nice. In 1890, James Edgar became the first department store Santa appearing in Brockton, Massachusetts. In 1939 Robert May, an advertising copy writer for the Montgomery Ward department store, wrote a children’s book as a promotion to spark Christmas sales. The book was Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and that legend was born.
Christmas trees originated in Germany where apples were hung on them for decoration along with candles. Over time, ornaments came to replace and represent the apples on the tree and Christmas lights substituted for the illumination of candles. Evergreens were often brought indoors by ancient people, predating actual Christmas trees, because it was believed that this greenery repelled evil spirits and illness. The 1830’s marked the first time Christmas trees became a regular tradition in the United States. The practice was brought here by German settlers. Americans began exchanging Christmas cards with each other in 1843.
Holly is a staple of the Christmas season because it represents Christ’s crown of thorns. Jesus of Nazareth is a real person corroborated by historical accounts, including those of Josephus – a Jewish historian who chronicled the troubled times of the Israelites during the time of Roman occupation. Using clues from the biblical stories of his birth, it is possible to pinpoint Christ’s actual birthday. It is clearly NOT December 25th.
The early Church did not celebrate Christ’s birth, after all it was his death and resurrection with the promise of eternal life that was important. However, the early Church was in competition with paganism and their celebrations. One of those traditions was of the Roman Sun God Mithra whose multiday celebration took place around December 25th. What better way to celebrate the Son of God than to coopt the celebratory date of the God of the Sun? Thus, Christ was “born” on December 25th and slowly the memory of Mithra was erased.
King Herod of Judea died in 4 B.C.E. and since he ordered the Slaughter of the Innocents (an attempt to assassinate the infant to toddler Jesus) Christ must have been born prior to the time of Herod’s death. Most historians place Jesus’ birth year as 6 B.C.E.
Astronomers truly believe there was a “Star of Bethlehem” type of aerial phenomenon as described in the Bible but perhaps not a “star” per se. Michael Molnar of the Physics and Astronomy Department of Rutgers University identified a promising and probable celestial event that could be what Matthew referenced. Molnar believes what those people saw was Jupiter rising in the east in conjunction with the moon and other planets in the night sky.
An ancient coin commemorates this cosmic event. It has Zeus on the front and Aries looking back at a star on the back. Zeus is a god but also represents the planet Jupiter. Zodiac signs had corresponding kingdoms associated with them and Aries was associated with the Kingdom of Judea. Using those facts and then plotting when the conjunctions of Jupiter et al took place in B.C.E., adding in the fact that shepherds only watch their flocks by night in the spring when the sheep are lambing, that would make Jesus’ actual birthday April 17, 6 B.C.E. The wise men brought their gifts: gold indicative of a king, frankincense signifying a priest and myrrh representative of a prophet.
Frequently when people ask, “Why do we do things the way was do?” The reply often is, “Because, we’ve always done it that way.” Now you know the reason why we do some of the things we do at Christmas time. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.