By Kelley Kepler
Catholic Herald

Spirit of St. Nick is the key to a simpler Christmas

GLENWOOD CITY --"How can we keep the spirit of Christmas giving without succumbing to commercialization?" According to Thomas L. Aebly, former Grand Knight of St. John Parish Knights of Columbus council who recently posed this question, the answer lies in the figure of St. Nicholas.

St. Nicholas is the fourth century saint who inspired the modern figure of Santa Claus. Born near Myra, a port on the Mediterranean Sea, story has it that Nicholas' parents died when he was young and left him a wealthy inheritance. Not spoiled by this wealth, Nicholas was a generous person who devoted his inheritance towards the charity and well being of people in need.

According to a legend Nicholas learned about a rich man in Myra who had lost all his money after his business failed. The man had three daughters who were unable to find husbands, and the man felt he had no choice but to sell his daughters, one by one, into slavery.

Each year, on the eve of the day the man was planning on selling a daughter, Nicholas threw a bag of gold into the man's window. He did this three times, once for each daughter, allowing the family to survive and the daughters to be married. On the third occasion, the man recognized Nicholas as the benefactor. Nicholas said he didn't want the man to know who he was because it's good to give and have only God know about it.

Nicholas eventually became bishop of Myra, and as bishop, he was aware of the needs around him. He would appear all over the city to help people who were struggling and then disappear before anyone could thank him.

St. Nicholas is most remembered as a lover of children. He would give small gifts to all the children he met, and through his kindness, he taught them the beauty of giving.

Aebly spent three years in France and Germany toward the end of his 20 years in the Navy. While he was there, he ran into a tradition that he found especially interesting. He learned that some families exchanged the majority of their gifts on St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6. Each person saved only one gift to open on Christmas Day. As a result, "Christ was once again the focus and reason for Christmas: as it should be," said Aebly.

The European tradition and the spirit of giving associated with St. Nicholas inspired Aebly to celebrate St. Nicholas Day with the children of St. John the Baptist Parish. Aebly, who has a full beard similar to the one typically associated with St. Nicholas, decided to dress up as the saint and hand out candy to the children.

Former pastor Fr. Jozef A. Barszcz was highly supportive of Aebly's idea, and the Knights of Columbus Council 4954 provided the candy. They chose to distribute candy on the date of the December Social Sunday, which coincides with the date of the children's choir and the children's sermon.

Aebly said, "This is a small effort on the part of the Knights of Columbus to keep Christ in Christmas." This year, St. John the Baptist Parish will celebrate St. Nicholas Day for a third year in a row. The date is set for Sunday, Dec. 15

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2002