Old Saint Nicholas

 

Santa’s Gift

“We think we mature and grow out of naïve belief when we stop believing in Santa, but it would be more appropriate to say that we lose our sense of enchantment and the magic of what it means to be human.”

Thomas Moore (The Soul of Christmas, p.124; Franciscan Media, 2016)

          My friend, Anna Dudley, gave this month’s Jung After Work presentation on “Solstice, Shaman, and Santa.” She gave a brief history of the images of Santa, or Saint Nicholas, that began surprisingly in Siberia, near the North Pole. When we lay images of our modern concepts of Santa Claus beside those of ancient and modern Shamans, we can see how close they are—the animal furs, the red clothing, the reindeer helpers, the magical flight through the night to every location on earth and entering homes through the chimney (smoke hole). Who could do that except a powerful shaman? Of course, the Solstice nights are very long, and not everyone has a chimney, but still. Santa’s magic, right!

          Santa Claus is an archetypal (universal) figure, a “jolly old elf,” whose name, Thomas Moore suggests, is the English equivalent of “Holy One.” He represents the spirit of joy, of giving, of generosity, and loving kindness, especially toward children who are still close to the source of life. So, when we stop “believing” in Santa, we lose a deep archetypal connection to wonder and magic. As Moore calls it, “enchantment.”

          Some folks have no need for magic in their lives, but I am not one of them. I think when we lose our sense of wonder, of awe, and the expectation that anything can happen, we lose a large chunk of what it means to be human. Wonder is fundamentally spiritual, and even though it’s associated most with children, we all desperately need it—besides, we still possess the capacity of a child to feel awe and to be inspired (in-spirited) by wonder. We still possess the capacity to imagine, to hope, and to trust in goodness. At least, I hope we do.

How many of us still drive around town to look at the Christmas lights? They brighten our hearts in some deep and unnamable way even though we know they are simply wire and plastic and strings of electric bulbs. Santa is the same—he comes at the darkest time of year, in the dead of night, when we are at our most vulnerable and tells us, “Don’t let the darkness overwhelm you. Never give up hope. Here’s a gift to cheer you up.” Who doesn’t want to believe in that!

Merry Christmas, everyone. Keep hope alive!

                                                  In the spirit,

                                                  Jane