Saint to Santa: How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus

I had the pleasure of watching Saint to Santa: How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus the other day with my kids.

A new release by Pauline Books, this fun little video traces the roots of our Santa Claus tradition back to St. Nicholas. Narrated by Father Joseph Marquis, a Byzantine Catholic priest from Michigan, the video looks at the life of St. Nicholas and how the saint's holy example would come to inspire Santa traditions throughout the world.

Santa being a delicate subject these days, I thought it did a great job of refocusing the kids' attention on the generosity, joy, and holiness of St. Nicholas--Santa--and the true meaning of Christmas. The light-hearted video with its songs and puppets was a fun way for us as a family to spend some time reflecting on the fact that the fun preparations for Christmas and the need to prepare spiritually for the birth of Christ can go hand-in-hand.

Copyright 2014 Meg Matenaer

Art/Photography: Saint to Santa: How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus, Pauline Books, PD/CC/SA, http://store.pauline.org/english/books/productid/4447.aspx?txtsearch=*&productname=saint+to+santa