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I’m a sucker for Advent. It’s my favorite liturgical season for so many reasons. I love our family traditions during this time, I love the anticipation and excitement as Christmas approaches, and I love the feast Days that happen to fall during the advent season.

The Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6^th kicks off our family traditions. Once we have recovered from Thanksgiving, which usually involves travel for our family, we set out to begin to decorate for the Holiday season and St. Nicholas day gets the ball rolling on the new Liturgical year.

St. Nicholas was born to a wealthy and devout family in the third century. His parents died when he was young, and he is known to have used his inheritance to bless the less fortunate. According to the legend, St. Nicholas tossed gold coins into the stockings of three poor sisters to pay for their dowries, preventing them from being sold into prostitution. The tradition of gift giving and Santa Claus (derived from “Sinterklass” which is the Germanic for St. Nicholas) to celebrate the Christmas season comes, in part, from the observance of the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6th.

And so, on the evening of December 5^th, my kids set out their shoes by the fireplace in anticipation for what goodies St. Nicholas will bring. They usually receive some chocolate coins and a book, activity book or maybe a pair of socks. It’s usually nothing big, but the excitement almost matches Christmas morning and I love it.

As wonderful as gifts from friends and family are, the larger lesson that St. Nicholas teaches is that the gifts we give care for those in need and are given without expectation of recognition.

But what is the best way for us, as Catholic Christians, to do “Santa Claus”? Of course, gift giving is a worthwhile virtue to promote, but is it “lying” to your kids to encourage belief in a jolly, fat man with a sleigh and reindeer who climbs down your chimney and eats cookies? Certainly, our secular world has taken the generosity of St. Nick and warped it into a lavish and exorbitant spectacle, and we often forget about the whole Jesus part. But, is there a way to do both? Can we celebrate the birth of Jesus and have the jolly man in red too?

I say, yes.

I don’t believe that Santa Claus must be at odds with the true meaning of Christmas.

In our house, Santa Claus comes, but the particulars of his “magic” are muddy at best. We always schedule a visit to sit on Santa’s lap, share something they would like to have, and discuss how they’ve tried to be good all year. The children receive three gifts per child (to recall the three gifts brought to Jesus by the wise men), one from Santa Claus in special wrapping paper and two from Mom and Dad. Santa nibbles at the cookies and gives his reindeer some treats for their long night. We go to Mass on Christmas Eve, where I’m usually directing the Children’s Choir, and we have Birthday cake for Jesus for breakfast on Christmas morning. We have a plethora of Christian Advent traditions that prepare our minds and hearts for the Jesus’s arrival and my kids are intimately aware that He is reason for the season. And celebrating Santa Claus, or St. Nick, is just extra.

When our kids come of age, we explain Santa and the gift giving this way:

1. Jesus is a gift. There has not been any gift to man kind that is more beautiful, more generous and more undeserving than the gift of the incarnation. God the Father offered His son to dwell among us. And that son, fully human and fully divine, offered himself as ransom for our sins, asking for nothing in return but love.
2. If St. Nicholas is known for giving gifts to the poor and needy without asking for recognition or accolades, he sounds like the perfect person to guide us through each Holiday season. This gift giving business is not only for God the Father and Jesus the Son – it’s for each of us and we can follow in the footsteps of St. Nicholas as we venture to give each year.
3. St. Nicholas is a great example to help us understand the communion of saints. Santa Claus (St. Nicholas) was a real person in time and history. God called him into existence and loved him, just liked he did for you and me. He had a vocation and he heard God’s call on his life. He used the blessings he received in this life to bless others and when his time here was done, God called him home to live eternally in heaven with him. We can learn from his life, and we can pray for his intercession, just as we can for all the faithful who have gone before us. We, the church militant, can join with him and the Church triumphant, each week when we celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the gift that was given to us by our heavenly Father.
4. Mom’s and Dad’s celebrate St. Nicholas by giving gifts to those who have been entrusted to our care in his name. We keep the spirit of giving without recognition alive through the love St. Nicholas shared.

For those who have come of age, they now have the important task of helping us keep sharing the spirit of St. Nicholas for the younger children.  

The feast of St. Nicholas is like a bonus celebration in our house, a preview of what is to come when Santa Claus visits on Christmas eve, when we celebrate the greatest gift of all, Jesus.

But for us, Santa Claus and St. Nicholas are the same person and we’re quite fortunate to get to celebrate on December 6^th and December 25^th.

We pray your Advent and Christmas season is full of reminders of the greatest gift ever given.