"Legends of Christmas" - Book Reviews

Saint Nicholas, Kriss Kringle, Sinter Klass, Santa Claus: four names for one person, one legend that most children in the world identify with Christmas. How did this fourth-century Bishop of Myra become the beloved carrier of the spirit of Christmas?

Historically, Saint Nicholas was born in Patara, a coastal town located in present-day Turkey. Even at a young age, he was devout. Under the tutelage of his uncle, he became quite interested in the church and entered the ministry. Nicholas was known for his kindness and generosity. The story for this day of the twelve is based on an incident early in Nicholas’s life. He rescued the future fate of three daughters by secretly giving the destitute father three bags of gold.

As with many saints, stories of his good deeds and miracles spread throughout the countryside. His fame spread to Russia, Europe, and Lapland. Saint Nicholas was named the patron saint of Russia as protector of the weak and poor; the patron saint of boys, young men, and sailors in Greece and Sicily; and the patron saint of children in the Netherlands.

When Dutch immigrants traveled to America in the eighteenth century, they brought with them stories and Christmas customs of "Sinter Klass," which New York Dutch settlers called Saint Nicholas. Kriss Kringle was the name German immigrants called the man, "the Christ carrier." The tradition of gift-giving and caring for weak and poor children became the soil in which the legend of Santa Claus took root. Visual images of this kind soul took the shape of the Jultomten, a Swedish barn sprite that arrived on sleighs drawn by mountain goats at the winter solstice. One poet, Clement Moore, further shaped our current legend with the publication of "’Twas the Night before Christmas" in 1823. The folk tradition of Santa Claus grew with the talents of two artists, Thomas Nast (late 1800s) and Haddon Sundblom (early 1920s Coca-Cola ads). The folk traditions of European cultures combined with the stories of a fourth-century Turkish saint to create a legend of both secular and sacred appeal.

A number of other traditional Christmas symbols drew their origins from pagan cultures.

Decorating an evergreen with lights is noted as early as the Middle Ages, and some accounts draw us back to the first century before Christ, during the festival of Saturnalia. The evergreens were a sign of everlasting life; the lights, a sign of the return of light to the earth after the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year [in the Northern Hemisphere-ed.]). Because Christ was the light of the world and a source of everlasting life, these customs were carried on and interpreted by Christians. Martin Luther brought the tradition of a lighted tree into his German home after a walk in a star-studded sky. He saw the starlight reflected on the frosted trees outside his home. He was so inspired by the glory of God’s heavens that he placed lighted candles on a tree to share that glory with his family

Another Christmas evergreen, the holly, carries with it both a secular and sacred story. The English brought holly and ivy into their homes as signs of everlasting life and hope for the coming of spring. As Christianity grew, a legend also grew that told the story of how the crown of thorns that Jesus wore came from holly branches. As soldiers pressed the crown down, the white berries of the holly plan turned brilliant read with the shedding of Christ’s blood.

An early Christian pope, Gregory the Great, wrote about sharing the good news of Christ with people from many cultures. He told his missionaries not to put down their customs "upon the sudden" but to adopt them " to the praise of God." Since the beginning of time, God has done the same, spoken to God’s people over all the earth, in many languages, in many ways of praying, in many places. Christmas legends are all for the glory of God.

Legends of Christmas: The Tradition