The Legacy of a Christmas Saint

Early in the winter, on a snowy mountain, walks an old man as jolly as a jester. Cold like a catfish in a chilly Canadian lake, the man continues his journey to his house with a gleeful smile and enthusiastic eyes. On his back, the cheerful man carries a few cuts of wood. The fire started from the wood will make his body warm like his heart. After plodding patiently on the expansive plot of snow, the man finally arrives at his humble home. Inside his small house, the man places the logs on the hearth in his fireplace. He grabs some iron and starts a flaming hot fire. The man takes off his dark red coat and takes a seat. While basking by the flames, the man reads a book, then sleeps.

On the next day, the man wakes up, takes a bath, gets dressed, and goes outside to clean the area surrounding his house. A moment later, the man spots his neighbor. “Hail to your grace, Nicholas.” “Good even, Caesar.” For a short amount of time, the neighbors exchange words via idle chit chat. Then, Caesar informs Nicholas of the unfortunate news provided by the town crier. Recently, an innocent boy from Myra has been taken away from his parents by wicked Arab pirates. Nicholas, normally happy, becomes grim. “What was the boy’s name?” “Basilios,” answers Caesar. “Basilios…”

Indeed, Basilios is now a slave to an emir. His job is to bring wine to the king, who speaks a different language than the boy. While he serves the Muslim ruler, Basilios’ parents are stricken with agony day after day. His mother is so grief-stricken that she ceases to participate in traditional feasts. What is a mother to do? She solemnly says her prayers every night. A year after the boy was kidnapped, he manages to sneak out of the king’s palace. The former slave had not been let outside very much. He was always within a 100-foot radius from the building.

On the night of his escape, Basilios spots a family with a camel and a carriage. The family wonders what a young boy is doing by himself in the dark. Attempting to overcome the language barrier, the boy points to a random direction and says “Myra.” They fail to comprehend. “Türkiye,” says the boy. The family confirms that he is traveling in the right direction. The family notices that the boy is wearing a kufi made with high-quality cotton. In exchange for the hat, they offer to take him to the area known today as Turkey. The boy agrees.

At the end of the long journey, Basilios arrives at a town called Patara. He thanks the family and carries on with the rest of his journey. Night falls. The former slave has nowhere to sleep. He decided to camp by a fountain in the town. Shortly after settling by the fountain, the boy sees a wandering black bear in the distance. The bear charges toward the boy. Defenseless, the boy attempts to get up to run. He trips. The bear continues charging. Suddenly, in the sky, some slender reindeer appear. They attack the bear. The startled bear runs out of town and back into the forest.

Upon getting off the ground, the boy notices a red slay behind the deer. In the slay sits a man with a red coat. “Ho ho ho!” Basilios, stunned, asked for the name of the man that commands the supernatural deer. “Nicholas,” said the man. “I heard that you were stolen from your parents. Is that true?” “Yes.” The man lets the boy ride the slay and the reindeer fly off. After being in the starry heavens for an hour, the deer locate the house of Basilios’ parents. They fly down to the front of the house. Basilios knocks on the door. His father opens the door. For the first time in about a year, he greets his parents. He cries tears of joy.

During the reunion between son and parents, Basilios informs his mother and father that Nicholas brought him home. “Thank you, kind sir. You’re such a saint,” says the emotional mother. The man leaves, hollering “Merry Christmas!”

This is just one of the tales of Saint Nicholas, known to us nowadays as Santa Claus. Born in the third century, Saint Nicholas is said to have been a man of great compassion. According to the legend, he was a protector of children. He also secretly gave gold to a man so that his daughters could each marry a competent man. Even today, he continues to give presents to good little boys and girls. How do he and his elves manage to accomplish this every year? Magic!

Year after year, in reverence of Saint Nicholas, parents from across the western nations tell their tender children about Santa. On the flip side, many parents don’t. Not all people celebrate Christmas, and that is perfectly okay. Some celebrate Hanukkah; some Kwanzaa; some Passover; some nothing. Again, this is fine and dandy.

With the above in mind, what about the people that don’t tell their children about Santa but still celebrate Christmas? “You should never lie to children.” Lying isn’t always malicious. Surprise birthday parties and romantic outings never hurt anyone. “I work way too HARD for some fat man to get the credit for bringing the presents!” Children don’t need to immediately know that you are the one buying the gifts. As they mature, they will naturally discover that you assisted Santa in providing them the gifts of joy and love.

These sorts of people ought to be blessed as well. Christmas is about sacrifice and the gift of giving. Give grace to all the decently moral people you know.

I wish you a Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!