The Real Christmas vs Santa Claus Myths and Legends

John R. Houk, Blog Editor

© December 22, 2024

 

What do you think about when you read “Santa Claus”?

 

Christmas?

Gifts?

Children’s story?

Naughty and Nice list?

Reindeer? Rudolph?

Toy-making Elves?

North Pole?

Cookies and Milk?

Santa Claus-  St. Nicholas Legends & Facts (knowinsiders.com Photo)

 

I suspect these memory suggestions are perhaps the mere tip of the iceberg and you could add more to this list.

 

The traditional view of the jolly fat man with a white beard has evolved from legends, myths, European pagan cultural traditions and only a smattering of history. A good short read on the Santa legend I discovered can be read from the post:

 

o   The Real Santa Claus: Myths vs. Facts: By Jenny Lee; Knowinsiders.com; 12/7/24 14:52

 

What does Santa Claus have to do with the real meaning of Christmas? Actually, not much. Santa Claus and Christmas only has a peripheral connection.

 

Christmas is about God Almighty being born in human form to accomplish the Redemption of humanity cursed by the bad choice of Adam and Eve to listen to Satan and eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve’s choice was an act of rebellion that separated the from the Presence of God transferring them to Satan’s dominion of darkness. (Genesis Chapter 3 AMPC)

 

The Birth of Jesus from Father God and from Mary became the first step of Redeeming the descendants of Adam and Eve from the bequeathed Fallen Nature. Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb of God who died a falsely accused criminal on a Roman Cross – ERGO TOTALLY INNOCENT. The Gift from God is allowing the Son to die to purchase the Redemption of an underserving humanity (Matthew 1: 18-25; 2: 1-15; Luke 1: 26-35; Luke 2: 1-20; John 3: 13-21 AMPC). That is the Love of God! God’s Gift is Redemption for those who Believe on their Risen Savior Jesus. (Mark Chapter 16 AMPC) No Belief means no Redemption.

 

The historical St. Nicholas is about an ancient Bishop offering semi-anonymous redeeming gifts to keep children out of harm’s way under Roman Emperor Diocletian who was ardent persecutor of Christians.

 

Below is a brief history of St. Nicholas I found posted on 12/20/24. And after that post, I borrowed a Life Site News very short video on St. Nicholas for those with a short attention span.

 

JRH 12/22/24

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The Christian Bishop Saint Nicholas, the original and true Santa Claus

Saint Nicholas of Myra (Herland Report Photo)

 

By Hanne Nabintu Herland

December 20, 2024

Herland Report

 

The Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ has been a religious tradition for two thousand years. Yet, the past decades the Christian holiday has been reinvented by Western secular forces to serve consumerism, indulgence and materialism alone.

 

The deep, philosophical meaning of Christmas and God’s love for humankind is gone from our atheist mainstream culture and we are sifting into nihilism, vanity and lovelessness.

 

The Christian Bishop Saint Nicholas: Santa Claus has become this fat, humorous troll from the North Pole who puts gifts into children’s stockings, riding his sleigh on reindeer like some witch, while occult figures such as gnomes and elves aid him in the pursuit of serving the interests of the retail market. It is all Walt Disney. The story of the true Santa is totally lost, writes historian and bestselling author, Hanne Nabintu Herland, founder of The Herland Report and its corresponding YouTube Channel. The article was first published at the regular WND column.

 

The Christian Bishop Saint Nicholas: Church history explains well who the original Santa Claus was, namely an early Christian bishop in modern day Turkey, Saint Nicholas (270-343 AD). He was a wealthy man and one of the greatest church fathers in Christian history, an example in humility, generosity, love for those who were suffering, and fearlessness when facing evil.

 

He used his money to help the destitute, the poor, the orphaned, and courageously spoke up against political leaders when he found injustice and wrongdoing against the weak. Saint Nicholas’ work was marked by a desire not to achieve praise for his good deeds.

 

He kept giving in secret, so that only God would see it. The aim was to mimic Christ in doing good to others. “The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic His giving,” he said.

 

The Christian Bishop Saint Nicholas: One of the well-known stories about him is that of a formerly rich man who had lost everything and now was so poor that he was in the process of sending his young daughters into prostitution.

 

Saint Nicholas heard about this, and in secrecy threw stockings filled with gold coins into their house. The man was enabled to avoid the pitfalls of poverty and restore the honor of his daughters.

 

Stories of how Nicholas helped prisoners, consoled those who were tortured, provided solutions for a variety of problems that his contemporaries faced, this all sums up the work of St. Nicholas as recorded in the early centuries after Christ.

 

The gentle Saint Nicholas is also described as an ardent warrior, zealously confronting political as well as religious leaders when he felt the truth was in jeopardy.

 

His willingness to suffer in prison, lose his social status, be depraved of worldly honor in order to stand up for truth, made him exemplary. Saint Nicholas became the archbishop of Myra in Lycia, known for his love for people from various walks of life.

 

Under the excruciating persecutions against Christians under the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305 AD), Nicholas was in prison for refusing to comply to the demands of the corrupt ruler. Then, when Emperor Constantine the Great (272-337 AD) took power, Saint Nicholas was brought out from prison and returned to his esteemed work as the archbishop.

 

He later participated in the First Ecumenical Council in 325 AD and the very institutionalization of Christianity that would cause the Roman Empire to last another thousand years in Constantinople.

 

With the advent of Protestantism, Christians in Europe forgot much knowledge about the early church fathers who lived in the centuries after Christ. Their stories were lost to public memory.

 

The modern twist to Santa Claus is only about 120 years old, and serves as a testament to how profoundly atheism has changed our culture and removed its original values. It is gnomes and occult trolls we celebrate now, promoted by Coca Cola and Hollywood, not the birth of Jesus Christ in a manger: The son of God, born in humility, destined to give those who submit to him existential peace and eternal life, born to enlighten our darkened hearts with love for one another.

 

“In the 19th century, decisive works cemented the modern re-shaping of St. Nicholas,” writes author of Kingdom of Vikings, Simon Vincent: “A Visit by St. Nicholas by Clement C. Moore in 1823, and a widely distributed illustration of “St. Claus” by Thomas Nast in 1863. In England, Father Christmas was trending as a literary personification of the festive Christmas spirit – most famously exemplified in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. References to the gift-giving St. Nicholas were abbreviated to “St. Claus”, from the Dutch Sinterklaas.“

 

In the 1930s, the Coca-Cola Company used Santa Claus to promote their brand, the Walt Disney films about Santa emerged and the secular creation of Santa Claus was complete to the sound of massive financial capital. And just like that, the true Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas was lost to us.

 

 

About the author

 

The level of censorship in social media and search engines is all-time high. Do like thousands of others, subscribe to The Herland Report newsletter here!

 

Hanne Nabintu Herland is a historian of religions and bestselling author. She is the founder of The Herland Report and its corresponding YouTube Channel and Podcast. This is a great place to watch interviews with leading intellectuals from across the political spectrum. Herland’s latest book, number 1 bestseller on Amazon, The Billionaire World. How Marxism Serves the Elite (2023) is a razor sharp analysis of how the elites use Marxist repression of the people to achieve their goals. Buy it here. Other books include Alarm, Respect, Det Nye Babylon (2018), Tyranni (2020) and in English – Crime and Refuge (2013), The Culture War. How the West lost its Greatness (2017),  Trump. The Battle for America (2020),  New Left Tyranny. The Authoritarian Destruction of Our Way of Life (2020), The Billionaire World (2023). www.hannenabintuherland.com/

 

© Copyright 2024

 

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Odysee/Bitchute VIDEO: The REAL Story of Saint Nicholas

Posted by SlantRight 2.0/SlantRight2

Published December 22, 2024

 

This is a 2:51-Minute clip (https://tinyurl.com/fssrfrap) from Life Site News TV (https://lsntv.com/). A little less than two minutes is St. Nicholas history and the rest is a promotion for Christian-oriented Life Site News support (https://giveusd.lifesitenews.com/). The St. Nicholas in a nutshell of info is worth watching. The Life Site News primary website: https://www.lifesitenews.com/.

Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus; Sort of

I kind of took Christmas off from blogging. The result being I missed this awesome essay by Norma Zager about an American Jewish gal having positive memories of Christmas. She shows Christmas has shown in the past that a spirit of giving, sharing and caring for the needs of others is unselfishly important.

Since Norma is Jewish it is not surprising her memories are not so much about the risen Messiah Jesus Christ. Her found memories are about that spirit being projected to children of all beliefs from jolly St. Nicholas or as he is more popularly known today –Santa Claus.

JRH 12/26/15

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Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus; Sort of

By Norma Zager

Sent: 12/24/2015 11:21 PM

Intro by Ari Bussel

On Christmas Eve, 2015, Norma Zager and I ask ourselves "Where has the Christmas spirit gone?"

We salute businesses like In-N-Out Burger and Chick-fil-A that still celebrate Christmas, Home Depot where choosing a Christmas tree is an excursion to wonderland and Costco that for years has led by example and closed its stores when many others remained open.

Zager reminds us of our role in the world, lighting it up with goodness:

Santa is a symbol of giving, sharing and caring for others. Christmas is a time of year when Rockefeller Center boasts a giant tree, lighting up the world; when lights and stars fill the streets and melodic music plays. 

On this Christmas Eve we crave the magical feeling of the holiday; family and friends surrounding us with warmth, love and protection.  We remember the less fortunate.  We appreciate everything this great country of ours has afforded us, first and foremost its Christian roots and tolerance and acceptance of all.

We must, as one, stand up and protect all that we hold dear.  May Christmas this year be a time of reflection.  Cherish the moment, encapsulate the special energy so that it lasts, stand up and be counted!

Here is Norma's special Postcard for Christmas:  Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus; Sort of

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Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus; Sort of

A few years ago Faith Hill sang, Where are you Christmas? That has become my new mantra.

Christmas feels so generic you might as well be hunting for Easter eggs.

I heard on the news that mall shopping is down and online way up.

No duh? Why should anyone shop at the mall? It’s no fun when there are no decorations, no Christmas music and Santa is missing-inaction.

In case no one has noticed, the world is a very rude and thoughtless place these days. The crazies are multiplying faster than an alcoholic’s bar bill.

Even at what should be the most festive and happy time of the year, the news is incredibly scary and unsettling. I suppose some would think me crazy if I pointed out this seems to be directly related to the lack of Christmas decorations.

There are daily reports of bans on Christmas décor, nativity scenes and Menorahs. Yep, those Jews gotta get in on everything! As a Jew, I am horrified by the lack of holiday spirit! Happily, some businesses have not succumbed to the political correctness that has infested this country, and Santa is alive and well in certain venues.

However, their number is growing smaller every year.

As a Jewish child I looked forward to the wonders of Christmas. Not for the religious implications of the holiday, but for the fun. I remember fondly sitting on Santa’s knee when one of the teachers in our school impersonated him every year.

It was always fun to try and discern who was beneath the beard. Mr. Foder, our social studies teacher, wore his glasses, so he was always an easy giveaway. Then he would hand us a candy cane, and we would get a glass of Vernor’s ginger ale, since he was the namesake of our elementary school.

How odd you may think that a Jewish person should have fond memories of another religion’s holiday.

Not really. It was always kind of easy since Hanukah usually fell around Christmas, and I always felt the two together made the season extra special. I also believe many of my friends felt the same way.

Although I grew up in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, I had non-Jewish friends and neighbors and some in my own family that celebrated the holiday.

As I grew older I loved Christmas for other reasons as well. It was the most fun time of the year to shop. Now what Jewish girl doesn’t love anything that makes shopping even more fun? Why? Because the stores were always filled with festive colors and decorations and people were in a wonderful, happy mood. It was the one time of year when everyone had someone else’s welfare on his or her mind.

Stores filled with people rushing about buying gifts to make others happy. The energy was contagious and uplifting.

The other day shopping at Macy’s, I couldn’t find hide or hair of a Santa or a Christmas tree. Snowflakes? Seriously. Wrapped gift boxes? Sorry, it won’t cut it.

I imagine people spend far more money with Christmas music blaring from the loud speakers, which there wasn’t by the way.

So why do you care, you might ask again. You are Jewish.

Yes I am, and that’s the point. Growing up as a child around Christmas in America taught me something valuable that I still carry with me today: respect for others’ beliefs and a great admiration and gratitude for being an American.

Understanding that I share the world with people of all religions, colors and ethnicities is a valuable lesson best learned through doing.

Most importantly I learned that we can and should all share and embrace the joys of our differences together.

That respect for others isn’t something one can be simply told, it must be felt and absorbed by living it for oneself.

Santa Claus played a vital part in teaching children that there is something beautiful and rewarding in believing. That positive actions produce desired results and sharing happiness with others, despite our many differences, is an integral part of life.

Christmas (and Christianity), after all, is what the United States of America was founded on. Celebrating Christmas is celebrating our very being, and everything we hold dear to our hearts.

Even those who are non-believers still benefitted from the good energy the season brought to everyone.

To say anyone should be offended because someone else is celebrating his or her own special holiday is ridiculous.

If there is a special event in schools or community venues during the holidays, it should be inclusive of course. But to ignore and play down the Season has taken a toll.

Phasing Santa out of our lives is removing the sparkle from a child’s eyes when they write a letter asking for a new bike, a doll or Apple watch.

Santa is a symbol of giving, sharing and caring for others. Christmas is a time of year when Rockefeller Center boasts a giant tree, lighting up the world; when lights and stars fill the streets and melodic music plays.

Those beautiful Christmas songs have spread the holiday cheer for decades. Many, incidentally, were written by Jewish composers.

Irving Berlin wrote White Christmas. Silver Bells was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans after hearing the bells of the Salvation Army Santas. Johnny Marks wrote Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

The Jewish State of Israel makes Christmas trees available for twenty dollars for anyone who wants or needs one. Religious institutions receive the trees, Arizona cypresses, every year at no charge. Yet here in America people are desperate to play down the holiday décor as not to offend others.

Why would pretty trees filled with lights and sparkles offend anyone?

And if they do, we must stand for them, protect our heritage and traditions, lest we find ourselves oust of everything we hold dear, all that we value in life stripped away from us in an instant.

Christmas is not simply a religious holiday, although of course that is its main significance after all. It is also a reason to be kind and thoughtful to others. To believe in peace and good will toward our fellow man. Why on earth would anyone want to play down that message, and who in their right mind could believe that is politically incorrect? It’s about as correct as one could ever be.

I hope this tide to play down and nullify Christmas ends soon.

Perhaps more holiday cheer is exactly what we need to bring us all closer together. The message of Christmas does not divide but unites all people and all religions, even those who aren’t religious at all, and brings home the clear and necessary message we all need to hear, but don’t often enough.

Peace on earth and good will toward our fellow man. I think I’ll write a letter to Santa and ask him for more Christmas spirit next year.

Until then we should all try to keep the Christmas energy alive in our hearts all year long.

So, yes Virginia, there is still a Santa Claus, but he’s hanging on by the skin of his teeth and the last remnants of his long white beard.

________________________

This is the latest in the series “Postcards from America – Postcards from Israel,” a collaboration between Zager and Bussel, a foreign correspondent reporting from Israel.

Ari Bussel and Norma Zager collaborate both in writing and on the air in a point counter-point discussion of all things Israel-related. Together, they have dedicated the past decade to promoting Israel.

© Israel Monitor, December, 2015

First Published December 24, 2015

Contact: bussel@me.com