Wednesday, December 05, 2007

How to put Christ back in Christmas? Celebrate St. Nicholas Day


Every year we here Catholics and Protestants alike complain that Christ is missing from the season of Christmas. We Catholics complain that the Holy season of Advent is forgotten. In modern America Christmas begins on the day after Thanksgiving and ends when Santa Claus comes on Christmas morning.

We have heard our priests on preach on Advent, penance and preparation for the coming of the Lord. Ever since the Protestant Revolution and the commercialization of that Holy Day celebrating Christ's birth is only really celebrated by a few Catholics and some conservative Protestants.

One solution would be to return to the celebration of St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. You see, after the Protestant revolution many northern European countries down played Christmas. When the Puritans came to America Christmas was outlawed. It was only after Catholic Immigrants’ arrived from Europe that Christmas was again celebrated to a any great extent.

With this new found interest in Christmas came the marketers of merchandise and the desecration of this sacred holiday. The Merchandisers and seculars writers needed something to celebrate (they had since lost the Catholic Faith generations ago and really did not understand the true nature of the Holiday.) Consequently in their ignorance, irreligion and desire for profit they distorted St. Nicholas Day and moved it to December 25th. They also changed the character of this holy priest and bishop into a rolly, polly, fat, and gift giver named Santa Claus.

As our Catholic Immigrates started to suck up American culture they bought into this “ Santa Claus “ myth and started lying to their children thereby inadvertently deemphasizing the penitential nature of Advent, the true character of St. Nicholas, materializing Christ’s birthday and essentially knocking Christ out of Christmas along with all of the Protestants.

What should have happened was that the Catholic immigrant should have reintroduced these traditional observances to the spiritually weak and culturally deprived Anglo-Saxon Protestant. As we know this did not happen.

The plan for every Catholic this year should be to celebrate St. Nicholas Day some how on December 6th. Only in this way can we bring back Christ. Why? Well every year we all have this great desire to celebrate a mythical creature called Santa Claus albeit based on a true Saint of the Holy Catholic Church. This desire to celebrate Santa Claus and all the gifts, family and friends that go with it is sweeter that candy. So indulge, but indulge on St. Nicholas day. Get you fix, get it out of your system. It can be a beautiful happy holy day.

Once St. Nicholas Day is over it leaves Christ for Christmas. Christ is back because Santa Claus is gone.

Make it fun it fun. We can give candy away as is done in Europe. We could pray, eat dinner, and maybe have a special desert,. We could also acquire an image of St. Nicholas and light a candle thereby reintroducing the real St. Nicholas to our family and friends. I plan to take chocolates to work and give them out.

One of the hardest things for parents with small children would be to tell their children there is no Santa Claus. There is so much pressure on all of us to sustain the Santa Claus lie. So much is riding on this lie (big profits and secularization of society). I know I have been guilty of perpetuating this lie. I will break this lie this year and tell my children the truth.

A Catholic family has so many ways to observe the season. After St. Nicholas there are so many other Holy Days i.e.: Immaculate Conception Dec 8th, Our Lady of Guadalupe December 12th , St. Lucy’s Day December 13th , and of course the vigil Christmas and Christmas Day.

3 comments:

318@Nicea said...

Amen,
Catholics in the United States have become soooo Protestant in their thinking that they join hands in wanting to deny Santa Claus soooo much that they actually take away one of the greatest Saints of the Catholic Church. He should be celebrated and venerated during this time as we do in this one season that he did all his life.

Dave

Anonymous said...

yes, we should leave Christ in Christmas. Because it is all about Him and our redemption.St.Nicolas is a catholic Saint in the church known as st. Nicholas who devoted his life to Christ and doing good work in this life for christ greater honor and glory.
santa clause is a worldly English version. that should not be considered. rather Christmas belongs to Christ.

gallicman said...

Not only have American Catholics become more Protestant but the American Church as well. The fact is our priests are now Revereds, our Mass is a commemoratiojn not a sacrifice, we hold hands, clap our hands, and sing amazing grace.