Dolores Campbell: Christmas Myths and Mysteries

Those who proclaim, as do Christians all over the world, that “Jesus is the reason for the season” have had to accept that Santa Claus comes very close to usurping the Christ Child’s place in this most wonderful season of the year. Despite the myths that surround both figures, it would seem that most people, Christians included, accept the age-old stories and aren’t concerned with whatever “facts” are placed before them.

In the case of the Nativity, for instance, the idea of the virgin birth has long been questioned. In fact, CNN talk show host Larry King, when asked which historic figure he would have wanted to interview, replied “Jesus Christ” because he could ask Him if he really was the result of a virgin birth. The answer, according to King, would “define history for me.” There are many reasons why the Church would promote the virgin birth idea and some would no doubt have to do with their notions about women and the act of procreation. The fact that women had to present themselves in the temple after giving birth to undergo an act of purification was just a forerunner of where women stood in the scheme of things as far as the church was concerned. (Hmm, not much Christmas spirit there.)

Archaeologists who have studied scripture discard much of what was written concerning the birth of the Christ Child. The Greek word “kataluma” could mean “guest chamber,” “lodging place” or “inn,” so Jesus could have been born “in the house of relatives” although it might have been “outside under the living or guest quarters.” There is no evidence that “angels were visible to Mary and Joseph” nor does the Bible say that any kings or camels visited them. Matthew, in his account of the Nativity, says “some men who studied the stars came” and “went into the house” with no mention of the stable we have always pictured as the Child’s place of birth, but according to some, they “probably visited when Jesus was older, walking and talking, perhaps when He was presented in the temple.”

And what of the date and time of the birth of Christ? Archaeologists contend that it would have been very cold in Bethlehem, especially for “shepherds abiding in the fields” where their flocks were “usually kept from spring until autumn.” So it was more likely that any such birth would more likely have taken place in September. However, the Church “wished to replace the pagan festival celebrated on December 25^th when the ancients could clearly note that the days were  getting longer and sunlight was returning.” What better day to celebrate the birth of the Son of God?

I recall presenting some questions about the birth of Christ to a clergyman who agreed that much of what we had been instructed to accept as “gospel,” so to speak, might very well be more myth than reality, but his comment “Wasn’t it a wonderful story though?” said it all. One of the greatest stories ever told in fact. How could it not be? The Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit, in a stable surrounded by farm animals that supplied some warmth in the depths of winter. Wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn and visited by shepherds to whom angels had appeared in the skies over Bethlehem. Yes, indeed, quite a story, a story that helped to convert millions to Christianity, a story that has been told and retold for more than 2000 years and one that inspired famous artists to produce some of the most beautiful art and composers some of the most unforgettable music.

So, as archaeologist, Judith Weingarten puts it:

Even when the stories are only half-believed, they are comforting. Who wants to know there was no star, no manger, no Magi? Only party poopers and historians.

And then along came Santa. Of course, Santa was originally, St. Nicholas, a real life bishop who lived in the 4^th century in Myra, Turkey and became widely known for his generosity to the poor, giving gifts anonymously to those in need, including three daughters of a poor man who was unable to provide them with dowries to marry. St, Nicholas, according to the story, either dropped bags of gold down the chimney or through the window (either way would be perilous I think). At least one writer claims the bishop spent time in prison due to his faith.

The story of “Sinter Klaas,” a derivation of “Sint Nikolaas” was brought to New Amsterdam (New York) by Dutch settlers and the first life-size Santa was on display in Philadelphia in 1841. The Salvation Army often had men dressed as Santa soliciting donations for the poor, a tradition that goes on to this day. Stores began advertising Christmas shopping in 1821, Sinter Klaas became Santa Claus and Dr. Clement Moore, in 1822, wrote his famous “Visit From St. Nicholas better known” as “The Night Before Christmas.” In 1881, cartoonist, Thomas Nast, depicted Santa, based on Moore’s poem, as a rotund figure, “a jolly old elf” in red and white and also created the myths of the North Pole, the workshop and elves, as well as Mrs. Santa.

Many European countries had their own versions of St. Nicholas or Santa – Father Christmas in England, Père Noël in France, Kris Kringle in Switzerland and Germany, La Bafana in Italy. In Russia, an old lady, Babouska, was said to have given wrong directions to the Magi who were trying to find the baby Jesus. She later regretted this and every year placed gifts beside the beds of small children in the hope that one of them might be Jesus. Myths upon myths.

We can’t forget Rudolph, created by Robert LeMay, a copywriter whose story sold over 2 1/2 million copies in 1946. The reindeer with the red nose was also immortalized in song by Johnny Marks and recorded by Gene Autry in 1949.

And there you have it, the Christ Child and Santa, both everlasting symbols of the Christmas season, both, in their own way calling us to remember those in need, those less fortunate and those “out in the cold.” If the commercialization of Christmas, probably personified by Santa, rankles, it is, as someone smarter than me said, “because we have forgotten his historical origins in the beloved St. Nicholas,” who, by the by, was the most popular saint in Europe, even after the Reformation, especially among the Dutch.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Dolores Campbell, a lifelong resident of Sydney, is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Cape Breton Highlander, the Nova Scotian, Cape Breton Magazine, Catholic New Times and The Cape Breton Post.

 

 

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Featured image: Christmas Night — The Blessing of the Oxen, Paul Gauguin (1848 – 1903), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons