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Children Give to St. Nick For a Change
Filed under: In The News, Amazing Kids
Youngsters present gifts to St. Nicholas during Feast Day of St. Nicholas in Pennsylvania. Credit: Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record/Sunday News
Sure, children leave him the occasional glass of milk and cookie. But what does anyone ever really give him for Christmas?
Some children in Pennsylvania reversed roles with the saint earlier this month at St. John Chrysostom Orthodox Church in Springettsbury Township, a community of 24,000 people about 100 miles east of Philadelphia.
They gave him presents.
In the process, they learned something about the Feast of St. Nicholas -- a tradition many Christian churches observe around the world through celebrations, processions, church services and gift giving.
That explains why St. Nick eschewed his more familiar red coat for gold robes and a bishop's hat. This was St. Nick. Not Santa Claus.In Springettsbury Township, the gifts children gave will eventually be donated to the needy families through Access-York and the Victim Assistance Center in York County, Pa.
"I can see you've been teaching the children to love others by giving to the poor," St. Nicholas told the Rev. Peter Pier, the pastor of the church. Parishioner Ray Reitz portrayed the third-century bishop while more than 30 children handed over wrapped presents and told him about their good deeds over the past year.
Some kids, though, were reluctant.
"We're supposed to keep it to ourselves," 13-year-old Irene Snyder tells the York Daily Record. "It's not something we brag about."
Each child received gold-covered chocolate coins. This echoes a legend about St. Nicholas. Three sisters in his village were supposedly bound for slavery or prostitution because their father couldn't afford dowries. Legend has it St. Nicholas threw three bags of gold through the family's window, providing the money so each could be married.
The Rev. Pier tells the York Daily Record that people often forget that St. Nicholas was motivated by Jesus' command to love others.
"The sad thing is St. Nicholas metamorphosed into the secular figure," he says. "The generosity is there still, but it has nothing to do with spirituality. Today's tradition is a good antidote to a society's materialism in that what you get is what you give."
A member of St. John Chrysostom suggested celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas as a way to give children a history lesson and remind them what Christmas is all about.
"It is definitely a good message to the children because they so often hear Christmas is about getting, getting, getting," say parishioner Mike Buleza.
Related: More on Holidays
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