The month of November has flown by! And here, on the last day of the month we find the first day, for Christians, of Advent. As the years have gone by Christmas, which was always my favorite holiday has a child, has grown increasingly special. And Advent, this time of preparation and anticipation, is no doubt a part of that process.
Although this morning is grey and overcast, a week ago I was basking in the sun of Southern California. I was in San Diego, attending the American Academy of Religion's annual conference. The weather was great and the city was wonderful, the convention was also a great experience. I took part in a panel that focused on Disney (astute readers of this blog know that Book 5 is centering on just that topic), and I delivered a paper about Christmas at Disney (and said readers also know this is a topic I've discussed before as well). One of the points I raised was of the Osborne Family light show at Hollywood Studios. In the process of doing so, I talked about the Nativity set that kicks the display off. During the question and answer time, that topic came back up, and one of my co-panelists commented that she believed the Nativity to be something of an "afterthought."
I have thought about that comment quite a bit over the past week. And I have to respectfully disagree. First, for Christians, the Nativity is hardly an afterthought at all, but rather the center of the entire Christmas experience. Having one as part of the display, especially when one considers some of the light displays themselves, certainly makes a good deal of sense. But then there is a second reason: Disney doesn't really do "afterthoughts." Every portion of the parks are thought out, both in terms of design, as well as display and function. The Nativity is there because it is supposed to be there. And on this first Sunday of Advent, that idea should be front and center.
Coming home from the conference, I arrived to a short week which ended in Thanksgiving. Obviously, it was Thanksgiving in the holiday sense--complete with trips to see family and eat a good deal of turkey. But thanksgiving as well because Book 3 (Interpreting the Prohibition Era) is now out and (most importantly for me) my author copies arrived. As a professional historian and writer, it is always gratifying to see the final product and even more so to hold it in your hands. It is my hope that the book will serve its intended purpose.
Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Sunday, December 15, 2013
From Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus to S-A-T-A-N!?!
On this third Sunday of Advent, I found in my Facebook feed a posting from a friend about the sermon he was listening to at his church. The pastor had just made a reference to "Satan Claus," which my friend thought was funny (which in turn prompted his wife to roll her eyes, per his comments). Now, I don't know what else the pastor in question said, or even what the sermon was about (I'll take a guess that secularization of the holiday may have been a theme), but it did get me thinking a bit about how some Christians have declared a war on Santa (and in the process forgotten about the man who inspired the myth, Saint Nicholas).
If you don't know anything about Saint Nicholas, you should. Though there is some dispute about all the details of his life's work, he is widely acknowledged to have been the Bishop of Myra during the 300s. He was known to give gifts (foreshadowing the eventual Santa Claus of course), but was perhaps known during his own time (and in perhaps the biggest gift to orthodox Christianity) for his staunch opposition to the Arian heresy (which cast doubt on the divinity of Jesus Christ) -- including slapping Arius himself in the face at the Council of Nicea!
For a fairly detailed account, read this or this. For a more humorous take (though with some crude language, so be warned), read this. But by all accounts, he was a no none sense defender of the faith, and very much worthy of being celebrated (and hardly surprising that his real exploits might take on the stuff of legends in their own rights).
So, how did Saint Nicholas become Santa Claus? As those first two articles point out, one of the most popular saints in both the Eastern and Western churches got transformed by the Reformation. Protestants, starting perhaps, with Martin Luther, who wanted to focus Christians away from venerating saints, cast aside St. Nicholas in favor of having Christian parents talk about the Christ Child. The Christkindl of Protestant Germany found its way to the United States, where it became "translated" (we'll use that term loosely) as "Chris Kringle." The next step to Santa then came with Episcopalian Clement Moore's "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" (you can read more about him and the poem here) in 1822, followed by Thomas Nast (himself of German Protestant extraction) creating a visual image in 1863 that can now be found (and copied) virtually anywhere today.
Christians have enough to worry about in this day and age I think, than whether to welcome Santa down their chimney. While I don't believe that Christianity in America is persecuted in the same way that say Christians in Syria are, nor that even this season's round of atheistic actions (see here for more on the "who needs Christ to celebrate Christmas" campaign -- which should prompt, I'd hope, at least some head scratching on the part of those who claim to be so well educated about how that realistically is supposed to work), harken the end of the faith in the United States, I really don't think Santa is to blame, or even a real worry. If you don't want to talk about Santa, fine. But you are going to be hard pressed to shield your eyes (or the eyes and imaginations of your children from it). And no, even with secularization, Santa doesn't mean "S-A-T-A-N", no matter what the Church Lady might tell you! By all means, focus on the Nativity, but maybe also talk a bit about the man who inspired the story to begin with. It couldn't hurt and it is probably better for all of us than devoting more time to real danger to Christmas: the Elf on a Shelf!
If you don't know anything about Saint Nicholas, you should. Though there is some dispute about all the details of his life's work, he is widely acknowledged to have been the Bishop of Myra during the 300s. He was known to give gifts (foreshadowing the eventual Santa Claus of course), but was perhaps known during his own time (and in perhaps the biggest gift to orthodox Christianity) for his staunch opposition to the Arian heresy (which cast doubt on the divinity of Jesus Christ) -- including slapping Arius himself in the face at the Council of Nicea!
For a fairly detailed account, read this or this. For a more humorous take (though with some crude language, so be warned), read this. But by all accounts, he was a no none sense defender of the faith, and very much worthy of being celebrated (and hardly surprising that his real exploits might take on the stuff of legends in their own rights).
So, how did Saint Nicholas become Santa Claus? As those first two articles point out, one of the most popular saints in both the Eastern and Western churches got transformed by the Reformation. Protestants, starting perhaps, with Martin Luther, who wanted to focus Christians away from venerating saints, cast aside St. Nicholas in favor of having Christian parents talk about the Christ Child. The Christkindl of Protestant Germany found its way to the United States, where it became "translated" (we'll use that term loosely) as "Chris Kringle." The next step to Santa then came with Episcopalian Clement Moore's "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" (you can read more about him and the poem here) in 1822, followed by Thomas Nast (himself of German Protestant extraction) creating a visual image in 1863 that can now be found (and copied) virtually anywhere today.
Christians have enough to worry about in this day and age I think, than whether to welcome Santa down their chimney. While I don't believe that Christianity in America is persecuted in the same way that say Christians in Syria are, nor that even this season's round of atheistic actions (see here for more on the "who needs Christ to celebrate Christmas" campaign -- which should prompt, I'd hope, at least some head scratching on the part of those who claim to be so well educated about how that realistically is supposed to work), harken the end of the faith in the United States, I really don't think Santa is to blame, or even a real worry. If you don't want to talk about Santa, fine. But you are going to be hard pressed to shield your eyes (or the eyes and imaginations of your children from it). And no, even with secularization, Santa doesn't mean "S-A-T-A-N", no matter what the Church Lady might tell you! By all means, focus on the Nativity, but maybe also talk a bit about the man who inspired the story to begin with. It couldn't hurt and it is probably better for all of us than devoting more time to real danger to Christmas: the Elf on a Shelf!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)