Anonymous Acts of Kindness

I held a secret belief for many years that my mother was magic. She had the ability to make any situation fun, to create costumes from everyday materials and to summon celebration out of the dreariest days. Fortunately, her magic is accessible to me and she shared her tricks freely.  I had a childhood full of fun and yet, I have never believed in Santa Claus. We always knew that Mama filled our stockings and that she and Daddy delivered the treasures that we unwrapped on Christmas morning.

However, we were well versed in the stories behind the myths, we loved the bell ringing Santas. I still remember the first year I was "too old" to sit on Santa's lap.  and every Christmas Eve she would recite "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" from memory.

One of the greatest things she did for my sense of wonder during the holidays is to tell me the story of the original St. Nicholas. I love that the myth of Santa Claus has it's roots in anonymous acts of kindness. Bishop Nicholas was a wealthy man, left a legacy by his parents when he was orphaned as a child. When needs arose in his community, he would deposit gold, food, whatever was needed anonymously at night. When his secret was discovered, Nicholas requested that his identity remain hidden. Nicholas lived in the 4th century and was eventually exiled and imprisoned for his faith.

Isn't that a rich history? I find the history of Santa Claus full of meaning and worthy of remembering. In our community Advent Calendar this year, we are taking the time to acknowledge the example of St. Nicholas. In church this Sunday we were given candy canes to randomly bless people with, and we have the challenge to find our own Anonymous Acts of Kindness.

I'm looking forward to...well, I guess I can't tell you ;)!