3 Surprising Facts about St. Nicholas and His Connection to Christmas
- Emma Danzey Contributing Writer
- Updated Dec 18, 2023
At Christmastime, we can hear a lot about a big jolly man from the North Pole named Santa Claus. This character was based on the real-life person St. Nicholas. Many people hear the name and are familiar with it, but there is a lot to this man whose life and actions created traditions we now know around the globe. Today we are going to look at 3 surprising facts about St. Nicholas and his connection to Christmas.
1. December 6th Is St. Nicholas Day
We hear about the 25 days ’til Christmas. Most of the Western world associates December 25th with Christmas Day. However, the holiday connected with St. Nicholas is actually remembered on December 6th. This tradition began in the 4th century. It is said that "His memory was kept alive in Holland as Sinterklaas.”
Today, many still celebrate this feast day. It is mainly recognized in Holland and Germany, however even the Milwaukee journal sentinel mentions how locals have embraced this holiday fun. They share, ”Like the fish fry and frozen custard, the celebration of St. Nick's Day, though not exclusively a Milwaukee tradition, is especially strong here.” Midwesterners tend to have many who enjoy this holiday. Although it is rich in Catholic, Orthodox and Episcopal churches, it is recognized more widely. According to the journal immigrants from Holland who settled in Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa passed on the family traditions. As well as German immigrants in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Missouri. The holiday is so well known in some of these areas that children have commented noticing the lack of recognition when moving to other states.
Today, people celebrate by placing candies or chocolate coins inside of shoes left out or inside of stockings. When we ponder what St. Nicholas did many years ago, we know that this concept of giving started with God. He is the Creator and the idea of sacrificing and helping came from Him. Jesus told us that it is better to give.
Acts 20:35 says, “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
2. St. Nicholas Rewarded those Who Did Good and Punished Those Who Did Bad
Have you ever heard that Santa Claus gives presents to children who are on his nice list and lumps of coal to those on his naughty list? This was not just something that the Creators of the Santa Claus movies invented. This was actually something that St. Nicholas did in history. The tradition holds that St. Nicholas showed up on a horse while wearing a red robe with Zwarte Piet. The two delivered “sweets and presents to good children or lumps of coal, potatoes, or switches to bad ones.” The Dutch took the tradition to New Amsterdam (now New York City) in the American colonies, where he was transformed into Santa Claus by the English-speaking majority.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
In the Christian faith, we know that it is a free gift to receive salvation. We cannot earn it like these children who received rewards from St. Nicholas for good behavior. However, this concept of rewarding for the good is seen in Scripture in regard to rewards at the return of Christ.
Matthew 6:1-4 says, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. ‘So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’”
3. St. Nicholas Gave in Secret to Those in Great Need
Even though his actions are now widely known, St. Nicholas gave privately from his heart. The St. Nicholas Center shares that St. Nicholas gave secretly as a means to provide for poor women with children. Hospinian wrote: “This custom originated from the legendary account of that saint having given portions to three daughters of a poor citizen whose necessities had driven him to an intention of prostituting them.”
Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
We are reminded that our calling as believers is to give generously to the poor. Will we turn a blind eye to those in need around us, or will we be challenged by the Spirit to live out the faith we claim? St. Nicholas propels us in the great value of loving well and caring for the needs of others. A cheerful Spirit is necessary to look outside of our own wants and needs to the hurting around us.
Who is hurting around you? How can Christmas be more about serving the needs of others than creating a list of wants for ourselves? If we truly believe God’s Word that it is more blessed to give, then how are we embracing this joy and celebrating the heart that St. Nicholas had before the holiday was driven to material wants? Yes, it is all right to enjoy gift-giving with loved ones and the holiday fun; however, may St. Nicholas challenge us in our faith to be givers and to serve like Jesus did, even when it means sacrificing.
Bible Verses about Giving:
As we ponder the gift of giving, it is always valuable to redirect our hearts and minds to God’s Word. May we think on these Scriptures and be changed by them as we remember to give this Christmas.
- Deuteronomy 15:10 says, “Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.”
- Proverbs 3:27 says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says, "The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
- Hebrews 13:16 says, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
- James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Related: The Christian Origins of Santa Claus
Christmastime is here, and that means the annual worldwide tour of Santa Claus is upon us! While Santa is a hallmark of the Christmas season, what many people might not know is that this mythical character is based on a real person—a Christian hero, in fact. In this episode of The Kainos Project, we explore the history of Saint Nicholas and his contributions to church history. We also explain how it is that he came to be called Santa Claus and why he now makes annual appearances on our Coke cans and in our shopping malls. More importantly, we discuss the lessons that Christians can take from the events of his legendary life that will help us to live more like Jesus this holiday season.
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