It’s impossible to not think of Santa this time of year. My son and I watched Elf the other day when he was sick and he has been asking me to sing, “Santa Clause is Coming to Town.” I thought after close to 30 years of Santa I knew everything there was to know about the jolly man form the North Pole that flies on a sleigh with reindeer and presents for all the children in the world. This year I learned something new about him!

I had always known a little about the origin of Santa being a really good man, Saint Nick, who gained a fairly big inheritance and then decided to give it to poor children in his community. He would drop gold coins in their socks that were drying at night. Last week I learned a little bit more about good old St. Nick.

It is believed that St. Nick’s most legendary giving was to a poor man who had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in absence of any other possible employment would be forced to become prostitutes. St. Nick heard about this man’s troubles and decided to help him. He didn’t want to help the man in public because that would have been a humiliation in their culture to accept charity. So he went to his house at night and threw three purses filled with gold coins through the window opening into the man's house. The money would be enough for the man to pay for their dowry, saving the children from being forced into prostitution! Learning this, of course, gave me new eyes for this amazing Saint!

I definitely have grown over the years to dislike how Santa and Christmas have been reduced to gluttony of presents and consumption. At our house we are desperately trying to swim up stream and make Christmas simpler and get back to many of the roots of the holiday. It is difficult but we are making our way. Hearing about St. Nick's legend helped me to get some perspective on this journey. I kind of like that this year when I think about the jolly old man coming down our chimney, I have the picture of a Saint in compassion and love giving towards a world of freedom and hope for children. It is good to know in the middle of this upstream journey our family isn’t alone.

As we have opened up the donations that have come to Love146 over the holidays, I have seen physical evidence that our family isn’t alone. You have given to Love146 this holiday season, joining Santa in abolition: ensuring children are both free and restored. What a beautiful picture of the tradition of St. Nick being carried on! With that in mind…

...Ho, Ho, Ho…Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

There is still time to be a part of St. Nick’s holiday tradition! Go here and to help bring more children hope, freedom and restoration this year!