St. Nicholas lived 1500 years ago in the region now known as Turkey.
Sadly, in his childhood, Nicholas’s wealthy parents died of plague. Like the merchant who sold all his pearls, Nicholas donated his fortune to the poor to respond to God’s call to become a monk and priest. He was named Bishop of the port town of Myra as a young man, so in some places he is called “the boy bishop.”
Nicholas was renowned for secretly leaving gifts for poor families, especially with children, which is where we get the idea of St. Nick coming down the chimney to put gifts in stockings. However, his generosity started as a child orphan!
Sharing St. Nicholas with young children
For years, I have shared one popular story of his legendary charity with our CGS Level I atrium (age 3-6) at church. In the activity, they act the part of St. Nick by putting small bags of coins in three socks, representing three poor sisters in danger of being sold as slaves.
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us we express our love for God by loving others, especially those most in need. To wonder at this truth with children, Mustard Seed Training commissioned a portrait of St. Nicholas by Cleveland area artist Chloe Becker. Chloe herself is a young adult responding to a higher calling, living the very themes she expresses in this portrait:
“May our justice run deeper than the sea”
You can share this image of St. Nicholas with our free downloadable coloring page:
Chloe’s reflection on her artwork:
“I wanted to portray him as a young boy as there was a story that he became a bishop as a boy; whether or not that’s true (we’ll never know), I like the idea of representing him at a younger age compared to the many depictions of him with a white beard. I think it will be powerful for children to see a saint that looks the same age as them, so that they can relate to him more and know that they can be saints too!
“I have him standing in the sea as he is the patron saint of the sea/there were many miracles he did regarding the sea. Further, though, I wanted the sea to show his devotion to his people through fasting, prayer, giving up all of his belongings, and unbelievable generosity. He was a religious leader who denied all forms of luxury to truly lead his people.
“The phrase ‘May our justice run deeper than the sea’ states this idea more clearly, as his deep care for the poor and marginalized shows his desire for justice for his people and the world. This is also why he is in the sea (which will be dark and almost murky to show that sacrifice), standing below the city of Myra behind him. He is not standing high on a pedestal, but ‘beneath’ everyone he serves (like how Jesus led).”
Chloe Becker, artist
To share this devotional message, Mustard Seed Training offers Chloe’s generous young Saint Nicholas icon in a variety of print formats. Enjoy this lovely sacred artwork for your own meaningful Christmas devotion.
In this same spirit of generosity, 50% of proceeds from our St. Nicholas materials will be donated to Catholic Charities.
The many faces of St. Nick
As a real-life generous patron of children, the legend of St. Nick is celebrated by many names in many countries over the centuries. Each tends to reimagine him in their own culture.
The St. Nicholas Center has detailed collections on customs and images from around the world.
This is a central part of the Christian tradition: being inspired by heroes of our faith to make their stories relatable to our own time. Many folks never see anything beyond their local celebrations, so have no idea about a Saint’s true origins or variations of celebrations around the world.
What can we learn from the historical St. Nicholas of Myra?
Especially today, many people long to experience a deeply meaningful Christmas celebration. Some folks have started asking themselves: “Where did this giant blow up Santa come from?” Many have been inspired to rediscover the historical St. Nicholas of Myra.
While the details of St. Nicholas’s life are difficult to confirm, there is one common thread: his generosity to poor children in response to his devotion to Jesus. My favorite book for adults on the topic is “The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus” by Adam English.
English explains that our modern Santa Claus–a Caucasian man with red coat and white beard–is a mostly commercial image cemented by Coca Cola’s yearly advertising. It is understandable why corporations would prefer to emphasize this magical gift-giving version of Santa Claus over the overtly religious Saint Nicholas: a monk and Bishop who gave away his wealth to the poor.
How can we faithfully act in the spirit of St. Nicholas, the joyful giver?
#GivingTuesday: Many social service organizations capitalize on this season through Giving Tuesday. Nonprofits tend to run very successful donation campaigns during this time of year.
BLACK SANTA: Excited to uncover a darker skinned hero with ancient origins, some have focused on St. Nick’s historical ethnicity with images of Black Santa.
FAIR LABOR: When buying gifts, you can choose to support small artisans or international fair trade organizations that protect the rights and dignity of their workers. Not going to lie, Fair Trade dark chocolate Santa is definitely my favorite!
SANTA ADORING JESUS: One spiritual impulse is reclaiming the religious origins of St. Nicholas by depicting modern Santa Claus adoring baby Jesus or kneeling before the cross.
TRADITIONAL SAINT’S DAY: Others trying to “Keep Christ in Christmas” have renewed traditional devotion to St. Nicholas Day on December 6th.
ONE IN BEING WITH THE FATHER? Some “rad trads” celebrate by making memes of St. Nicholas battling over the theological controversies of the Councils of Nicaea, which it is likely he attended.
ST NICHOLAS THE KLINGON: In 2019, a Star Trek meme went viral comparing (dark skinned) orthodox icons of St. Nicholas and Michael Dorn’s portrayal of the Klingon Security Officer, Worf, in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
As a self-identified “Catholic Geek,” it was this last meme that inspired me to find (and ultimately commission) a more historically accurate image of St. Nicholas that helps children connect with what it means to be a Saint.
This is the true reason for the season: to give and receive the fullness of God’s life.
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