Reflecting on Kindness: Honoring Another Remarkable Soul in this Christmas Season!

Merry X-mas!

The Christmas celebration commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, who is honored by Christians as the Son of God, some celebrate winter solstice which symbolizes the rebirth of the sun, and some celebrate this day for gift giving.

Today let’s shift our focus from Jesus’ birth, instead, we get to remember one person’s generosity and kindness.

Yeah, I am talking about the Great Santa Claus!

Well! we all know Santa, but very few know who Santa is, and Guys! ever pondered why we celebrate and expect Santa Claus on X-mas Eve.

Here let's get a story behind the legendary figure of Santa Claus.

Before getting to know Santa Claus, let’s remember the great Saint Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas is a 4th-century Christian bishop from Myra and was born in Turkey around A. D. 280.

He is known for generosity and kindness, especially towards children. So, he used all of his wealth for poor and sick children. He remains legendary for secret gift-giving.

Since he is from Turkey, how do Americans celebrate him?

Saint Nicholas lived and died in the 4th century, long before Europeans discovered America. Americans started to celebrate Saint Nicholas as Santa Claus in the late 18th century.

Some Dutch immigrant families want to honor the death anniversary of Great Saint Nicholas in New York. So, they celebrated his feast day on December 5th, known as St. Nicholas' Eve. Americans adopted this tradition from Dutch families.

They used to say Saint Nicholas as Sinterklaas. Over time, Sinterklaas became Santa Claus, and his celebration merged with Christmas.

Pictorially Americans associate and start to imagine Santa Claus with the image of a plump, jolly, and rosy-cheeked, long white beard figure in a red suit with white fur trim, black boots, and a soft red cap.

Children believe that Santa Claus lives in the North Pole with his wife, Mrs. Claus, and his elves, who make toys for the children.

On every Christmas Evening, he loads his sleigh with toys and flies around the world, drawn by eight reindeer, stopping at each child’s house; he slides down the chimney and leaves the gifts, refreshing himself with the milk and cookies left for him by the household’s children.

This may be looking like fantasy, but this story makes Christmas Evening more fun and magical for many children.

Yeah, it’s also not entirely an imaginary story, because Santa Claus is based on a real person who lived a long time ago. So, you could say that Santa Claus is a mixture of reality and imagination, a symbol of the spirit of giving gifts and joy that many people celebrate at Christmas.

This is how Saint Nicholas is still filled with us every year.

With this, I end this brief tale by wishing you all a Merry Christmas. May the festive Spirit bring boundless joy to your families!