Jolly Old St. Nicholas?

When I was a child, my Dad always went to the tire dealer and purchased the annual Firestone Christmas Album.  My brothers and sister always had fun listening to it and, ultimately, singing along.

            One of those songs was “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” sung by the wonderful French crooner Maurice Chevalier.  I still remember his delightful opening words in a thick accent: 
Jolly Old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way; don’t you tell a single soul what I’m going to say.  Christmas Eve is coming soon; now, you dear old man, whisper what you’ll bring to me, tell me if you can.”  And then the list of suggestions followed.

            Somewhere along the way, St. Nicholas became confused with Santa Claus, and St. Nicholas Day and Christmas Day were alike.  About the only similarity between the two is that both of them love children—especially if they are nice rather than naughty.

            St. Nicholas actually is a far better example to follow than Santa.  Or maybe the better statement is that Santa is a much-reduced figure than Nicholas of Myra, especially in girth (Santa is far greater, I am sure).  So this day is much more important to demonstrate the spirit of giving.

            Nicholas of Myra (a city in modern-day Turkey) was a bishop of the Church who showed great love and care for children and for the poor.  I imagine that he was most mindful of poor children who otherwise had no opportunity to live meaningful lives.  He reminds us of the importance of looking after the needs of children in every circumstance.  Children are so vulnerable.  And they are most valuable to us adults for all that they can teach us about what each of us really is—a child of God.

            Nicholas also was deeply devoted to the care for sailors.  Living here in Hampton Roads, I have become so much more aware of sailors, enlisted in the armed forces as well as those who are on freighters and cruise ships.  Having been a chaplain on an ocean liner as well as a recreational sailor, I am particularly grateful to Nicholas for his care for these persons on the waters.

            In the end, I think of Nicholas as “jolly” and know that Maurice Chevalier really understood the meaning of that word.  After all, it is French in origin.  It means “lovely” or “beautiful.”  We get another word from jolly:  the word joy.”  Nicholas shows us that, when we serve in Jesus name, we can count it all for joy.