Have you heard about Elizabeth Esther’s Saturday Evening Blog Post? I like the idea of a a forum where people can share their favorite blog posts from the previous month. I also enjoyed reviewing what I’ve written in the past month.
It was a tough call; but I chose to share Toddlers and the Spiritual Life because I just love it when my children become my teachers. It also seems appropriate to look back at that moment in the week we celebrate the feast of St. Therese, who always reminds me that I must become more like a child.
Anyway, head over to The Saturday Evening Blog Post and see what’s going on.
Very fun! I always vaguely assumed that Santa Claus was the American equivalent of Father Christmas, and that Father C must therefore somehow be St. Nicholas. It never occurred to me that he had a separate, older origin before taking on Santa’s red suit and white beard. You do hear Santa here more often now, but as a child I only ever heard Father Christmas, and it never occurs to me to use any other title. We definitely leave stockings out for Father C.
Kathryn, I was hoping you’d chime in and tell me which title you use. Why am I rather glad to find you leave stockings out for Father C. rather than Santa?
For some reason I assumed you’d have known about the separate origins of Father Christmas, though. Doesn’t it make you wonder what other things we’ve always assumed are so are really not?
I had no idea. Thanks so much for posting this. What a wonderful history and culture lesson!
In Italy, it’s Babbo Natale – which means Father Christmas – and St. Nicholas is practically unheard of, in the sense that he has no connection with Christmas (on the other hand, St. Lucy on her day brings gifts to many Italian children, as does the Befana on the night before the Epiphany.) When we were very young my parents used to tell us the gifts came from Baby Jesus (Gesu’ Bambino), but later on they settled for Babbo Natale… For whatever reason, I cannot bring myself to call him “Santa Claus” with my children- the phrase doesn’t mean anything to me – so we only call him Babbo Natale, even when we read Twas the Night Before Christmas (check out the version by Ted Rand, btw!) It doesn’t rhyme, though 🙁
I have the Tolkien book in Italian! I think it was lovely of him to do such a thing…