December 25, 20112006 Ukrainian Christmas stamp- St. Nicholas with children
“…We celebrated Hanukkah a few days ago, and now we’ll celebrate Christmas…because it’s all about kids!” -a friend told me yesterday.
She’s right. The season comes alive for and about children. It brings out the kid in all of us. There’s a festive playfulness permitted for all ages. And there’s the sharing and the caring that unselfconsciously gushes forth. I got more hugs yesterday than I received in the last 6 months! Too bad it only happens for a few short weeks at the end of each year.
1981 Bronze Statue, St. Nicholas, Demre, Turkey
I want to share with you a story about St. Nick…There was an actual man in Turkey, of all places! He was a wealthy man who had a special place in his heart for orphans.
This “first public statue of St. Nicholas is a genial bearded Father Christmas who stands in the garden of the Church of St. Nicholas (Demre, Turkey). The large bronze benevolent figure wears a hooded robe, carries a gift bag over his shoulder, and is surrounded by three children.” -St. Nicholas Center
The tradition surrounding Saint Nicholas Day, (usually on 6 December), is a festival for children in many countries in Europe related to surviving legends of the saint, and particularly his reputation as a bringer of gifts. The American Santa Claus, as well as the Anglo-Canadian and British Father Christmas, derive from these legends. The word “Santa Claus” is itself derived in part from the Dutch “Sinterklaas.”
St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children and sailors!
