Best Books
To believe, or not to believe, is a question surrounding Christmas. For Christian families, the answer would seem obvious. After all, we are believers. And yet, when it comes to Christmas, the talk of believing is all about Santa Claus and Christmas magic.
Commercialism in Christmas has concerned parents for generations. It’s hard to combat the onslaught of shiny new toys, the latest electronics, and the hope in a child’s eyes. Let’s be honest, it is our Christmas joy to give children gifts that make their faces light up. The idea of a Santa Claus gives parents a story and a fun way to enjoy Christmas giving. Cartoons and Hallmark specials light up the season with warm thoughts of Christmas miracles and magic. For young Christian families, it’s a time to create childhood memories. It can also be a time to lay a foundation for the truth of Christ, and the man their classmates call Santa. Parents no longer have to choose between celebrating the birth of the newborn king, and Santa.
Santa Claus is the evolution of the Dutch name Sinterklaas, which means Saint Nicholas. Who was in fact a real man. Not only did he live, but he also followed his faith, just as his mother taught him as a child. Living during a time of severe Christian persecution, his good works were in stark contrast to the world around him. And like the Apostle Paul, he spent part of his ministry in prison. In The Legend of Christmas: An Untold Story of the Real St. Nicholas, children are introduced to a rugged man in tattered clothes being cared for by a cellmate. The stories of his kindness, bravery, and powerful prayers had spread throughout his small Mediterranean village. The scruffy younger man is amazed that a good man like Nicholas could be in prison with a thief.
Historically accurate, with beautiful images spread over each page, parents have a new story to give their children–and something more than an elf to believe in. Parents are encouraged to try new traditions of honoring the birth of the savior by following Jesus, with childlike faith, just as St. Nicholas did. Whether or not to believe in Santa, is arguably the first time Christian children are confronted with the fantasy of our culture, and the faith of their family. This true story of Christian history, untainted by secular commercialism, gives families a deeper sense of their own spiritual heritage, and inspiration to create new faith-filled traditions this Christmas.
-Theresa White
