St. Nicholas

Taking another Advent cue from beloved Liz, (read her post on this!) the kids & I have started talking about St. Nicholas. Now, I grew up Southern Baptist - no saints or discussion thereof whatsoever - and I am a devout Christian, but I am totally not anti-Santa. Santa rocks! And Santa is REAL. A real, Christian man who embodied the true spirit of Jesus. It doesn't matter which denomination he was (or which you are) - when the walk matches what Jesus asks of us, it's worth learning about! The super bonus is that learning about St. Nicholas isn't only a great example of how to live, but b/c he is "Santa Claus", it emphasizes the CHRIST in CHRISTmas. I want my kids to think of the real guy every time they see a Santa image.

This is an AMAZING website for learning about the real St. Nick, but my favorite part is actually the kids' section. It spoke to me better than the adult! ;-) We read this concise story about who St. Nicholas truly was; there are a bunch more, too. (We also liked "And Now We Call Him Santa Claus" by Kay Tutt.) After we read the stories, I had them each pick a coloring sheet here for me to print. (We'll color another day, b/c...) Finally, they found the games: they are obsessed with word searches and memory! :-P Yay for happy associations & learning!

Liz also recommended the VeggieTales movie that came out last year - St. Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving. "Through catchy songs and entertaining dialogue, this animated story explains the origins of jolly ol' St. Nick and teaches children about how people around the world celebrate the spirit of giving." We lovelovelove VeggieTales, and imagine my delight when I discovered it streams instantly through Netflix on the computer or through the Wii!!! We will be watching it SOON, (on demand, w/o me having to buy or order it!)

When it comes to me explaining how Santa interacts with us personally, I tell my kids that when St. Nicholas died, he went to heaven, just like we will; so he's an angel now & can do anything with God. (Even, oh say, fly around the world on a sleigh with reindeer. ;-) Even though that's not really the point.) Remember how he blessed people on earth with those gifts? He still wants everyone to remember Jesus' birthday, so he brings everyone Christmas presents, just like the wise men brought to Jesus.

I'm passionate about having my kids (& myself!) see God everywhere, even esp. in seemingly "secular" things. I think we're most blessed & most thankful when we can do that. :-)

Comments

  1. love it, sues! so glad to see the movie is watch instantly on netflix. gotta love netflix!
    also...do you have an Aldi near you? they have german food there, especially around german holidays (like oktoberfest and now st. nicks/christmas). lots of pfeffernusse and speculaas cookies and german candy...gather it for your st. nicks viewing! :)

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  2. Aldi is not close, but we may need to make the drive anyway just b/c they DO have all that German stuff! I flipped out when I found it last year. Oh, college abroad nostalgia... (I know you can identify. ;-))
    We also watched the movie just now for the 1st time - SO WONDERFUL! We'll be watching it OFTEN this month for sure!!!

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  3. fabulous! did the kids like the "silly song" with the donut-loving dog as much as adam loves it? :)

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