The Real Santa Kneels Before Jesus

The reminder of St. Nicholas’ Day in the first week of Advent turns my thoughts to the life of Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. A fourth century leader of the church, Nicholas used his worldly goods to help the poor and destitute, going to great lengths, the legend says, to do it anonymously. The name "Saint Nicholas", "Sinter Klaas" in Dutch, morphed into Santa Claus, proving the best secular symbols have their roots in God’s love. Nicholas used his gifts to mirror God's gifts. As we prepare for Christmas, instead of stressing over how prestigious or trendy or expensive our gifts can be, we should use all our works and all our ways to point to the gift of the Christ child, not to ourselves. God knows how to give the best gifts and we can follow His example by giving the best of ourselves to the people we love and thus fulfill the deep desire to share and connect and communicate love. Like St. Nicholas, our examples can encourage others to do the same.