CHRISTmas as I see it.....

A lot of people are probably confused about Christmas. Christmas does raise a bunch of questions. It is supposed to be Jesus' birthday, but we give gifts to children and tell them it's from a guy named Santa Claus............So, what gives? Matthew chapter 25 verses 35 - 40 talks about how whenever we give or do for others, no matter how unimportant they may seem, it's as though you are giving or doing it for Jesus. So, that kind of explains the spirit of giving and the gift giving at Christmas, but what about Santa Claus? The figure Santa Claus is actually based on Saint Nicholas, who was a Catholic Bishop in Myra which is near Finike, Turkey, in the 4th century. Saint Nicholas was born of a wealthy family. His parents died while he was young and he inherited a great sum of wealth. He didn't keep any of it for himself, but gave it to the poor. While he was still young, it was claimed that there were several miracles associated with Nicholas, so much so that he became known as Nicholas the wonder-worker. The people in Myra were so in awe of this selfless holy man who worked miracles that they insisted that he be their Bishop. Saint Nicholas' life was characterized by an unrelentless defense of the gospel. He spoke out against the Arian movement, and his boldness even landed him in prison and got him stripped of his title as bishop. During his life he was quite fond of anonymous giving. There was even a record of him helping three young girls to marry and avoid going into a life of prostitution, by sneaking through their window and putting sacks of gold into their stockings while they slept. During that era a dowry(fee) was required to marry. With every generation, Saint Nicholas' popularity grew and grew, and morphed into the legend of Santa Claus. So, we have the spirit of giving explained, and Saint Nicholas' association with anonymous giving explained. You put it all together and you have anonymous gift giving to one another as a way to give gifts to Jesus, and doing it anonymously under the guise of Santa Claus(Saint Nicholas). I hope this gives you a story to add to your holiday traditions. Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year!!!