Old Saint Nicholas

I was 12, and I was devastated. OK, I was also naive, but I believed in Santa until that awful day my classmates mocked me to shame for still believing. I went home and pleaded for my mother to tell me the truth, which she did. I cried myself to sleep that night, not just from shame but also because I felt betrayed.

My mom had meant well, and Santa was one of the most exciting memories of my childhood. She went all out — milk and cookies for Santa, presents and stockings galore. She even stomped around in the attic and told us the sound "must have been Santa's reindeer landing on the roof." We were thrilled, and even today the memories are sweet.

But when I found out the truth, I promised I'd never mislead my children. I didn't want Santa to confuse them. After all, if I told them Santa was real and later admitted he wasn't, why wouldn't they question the reality of Christ? So I refused to pretend Santa was anything more than make-believe. Although we read "The Night Before Christmas" and I let the kids sit on Santa's lap at the mall, they knew it was just a game.

This, however, was problematic. When my children's friends talked about believing in Santa, my children self-righteously set them straight, and I got several calls from upset parents. They soon learned to keep it to themselves.

There are no easy answers in a day when Santa is celebrated, almost deified, and Christ is brushed aside as politically incorrect. Because Christ is rightly the focus of our celebration, where does Santa fit? No matter how your family handles the fictional character, I wish I'd known about St. Nicholas, the real man behind the red suit. You might, too.

The real St. Nicholas

There are legends, myths and stories about St. Nicholas — some embellished to unbelievable dimensions — but we do know that Nicholas was born in a province of Asia Minor, most likely during the third century.

History records that Nicholas was a bishop of Myra, a town in Lycia. Accounts say he was persecuted and imprisoned for his faith by Roman Emperor Diocletian, but Nicholas faithfully served the Lord his entire life. After his death, St. Nicholas became a symbol of selfless giving, and by the 1400s, he became one of the most popular nonbiblical figures in the Christian church. Music, art and plays celebrated his unselfish life, and stories continued to grow out of the part he played in history.

Yet, as with many stories of real-life heroes, embellishments began to transform this humble bishop into a superhero, and St. Nicholas' legacy became secularized. Through the centuries, he continued to evolve into the popular caricature we know today.

However your family deals with the Santa Claus challenge, the truth of St. Nicholas' selfless service to the One we celebrate during this season is admirable and worthy of recognition.