“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.”
December 6th is the feast of St. Nicholas. We all know him as Santa Claus, but do we know him as the Bishop of Myra? Nicholas is far from a fictitious character from Christmas lore. Many of our favorite Christmas traditions come from his wondrous life.
Why stockings by the fire place?
Nicholas was born around 270 AD in the Roman Empire. His parents were wealthy Christians who taught him the spirit of joyful giving and selfless love. When he took control of their estate after their death, Nicholas used his wealth to care for those around him.
Most notable of his gift-givings was when he dropped bags of gold down chimneys. The story goes that a poor man had three daughters and no money for dowries to marry them. The girls intended to prostitute themselves to make the money they needed. When Nicholas learned of this, he crept onto their roof and dropped sacks of gold down their chimney. Historically, people hung their stockings over the fireplace to dry.
The tradition of hanging our decorative stockings by the fireplace comes from this story. We hang our stockings and fill them with gifts as a reminder of Nicholas’ generous spirit.
Santa Claus: the joyful giver.
Of course, the “biggest” Christmas tradition around comes from St. Nicholas: Santa Claus! Even Santa’s red and white suit is loosely inspired by the garb a bishop wears. It is such a blessing that we have a saint to celebrate in the Christmas season. Every year, each of us gets to partake in the joyful giving of St. Nicholas.
As we celebrate the advent season, part of our preparation is planning gifts for loved ones. As God gave His son and Christ gave Himself, so can we join in joyful giving. We can give our time and love, no matter the money that goes with it. What a blessing to teach our children about the traditions of Christmas that come from the wondrous St. Nicholas!
