Category Archives: Christmas

Santa, Tinsel, and Christmas Misinformation

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(Adoration of the Shepherds by Dutch painter Matthias Stomer, 1632)[1]

By Spencer D Gear PhD

Where did the idea of Santa, Christmas stockings and gifts come from? It is a long story – legend – that dates back to the Saint Nicholas or Kris Kringle, the jolly old man.

“Today, he is thought of mainly as the jolly man in red who brings toys to good girls and boys on Christmas Eve, but his story stretches all the way back to the 3rd century, when Saint Nicholas walked the earth and became the patron saint of children.”[2]

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Santa Claus portrayed by Jonathan Meath in 2010[3]

But he’s a figment of our imagination. Don’t tell the kids that! As a child I remember having lots of fun with the Santa bringing gifts overnight on Christmas Eve. Dad and Mum never let the cat out of the bag about the truth of what went on – the gifts were from my parents.

Symbol of commercialism

Sadly, from my Christian worldview, Christmas has become associated with commercialism. ‘Jeremy Seal describes how the commercialization of the Santa Claus figure began in the 19th century. “In the 1820s he began to acquire the recognizable trappings: reindeer, sleigh, bells,” said Seal in an interview. “They are simply the actual bearings in the world from which he emerged. At that time, sleighs were how you got about Manhattan.”[4]

Some of the Christmas songs in the public domain with no copyright include:

Flower8Away In a Manger;

Flower18The First Noel;

Flower18 Go Tell It on the Mountain;

Flower18 Hark, the Herald Angels Sing;

Flower18 O Come All Ye Faithful;

Flower18 O Little Town of Bethlehem;

·Flower18Once in Royal David’s City;

Flower18Silent Night.

You’ll need to check your favourite singers for renditions of these songs. I enjoy the Jim Reeves’ versions of:

designQuiltsmall  Oh Come All Ye Faithful;

designQuiltsmall Oh Little Town of Bethlehem;

designQuiltsmall Mary’s Boy Child.

The Truth

Christmas does not celebrate Santa Claus, tinsel, silver or red bells, and the gifts. The truth is we remember the Christ child who was born on Christmas Day – offering the greatest gift of salvation to all people. He came as a human baby, to grow into a man who would pay for our sins by his death and resurrection.

Matthew 1:20 (NLT):

‘But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”’

Luke 1:35 (NLT):

‘The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”’

We celebrate Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day. He came to earth to die: “He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” (Rom 4:25 NLT).

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Vintage Christmas images public domain.[5]

Notes:


[1] “Nativity of Jesus,” Wikipedia, accessed 2 September 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus.

[2] “Santa Claus,” history.com, Updated: Dec 14, 2020, https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus, accessed 2 September 2021.

[3] Wikipedia, accessed 2 September 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus

[4] How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus: One Theory, interview with Jeremy Seal at the St. Nicholas Center (in Wikipedia, “Santa Claus”).

[5] Pinterest, Vintage Christmas images, accessed 2 September 2021, https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/302374562460418813/.

Copyright © 2021 Spencer D. Gear. This document last updated at Date: 2 September 2021.

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