Hurry Down the Chimney Tonight

St. Nicholas of Myra was born circa 280 AD, in what is now Turkey. He came from a wealthy Christian family, and as a young man, he lost both his parents to an epidemic.

He was a devout Christian and used his inheritance to help the sick and the poor. Many stories circulated about his good deeds, from leaving money at people’s homes while they were sleeping to defending and bailing out folks who were falsely imprisoned. Nicholas was known for his generosity and secret gift-giving like leaving money in vagrants’ shoes as they slept. A popular story revolved around the gold coins he threw down the chimney of a poor man, who had three daughters but could not afford the required dowry to marry. Nicholas dropped three bags of gold coins at three different times for each daughter. He was finally caught by the father and Nicholas told the father not to tell anyone. Well, who can keep a secret like that anyway?

Nicholas was raised by his uncle, who was a bishop and no doubt nurtured Nicholas’s already religious leanings. In time, Nicholas was ordained a priest and eventually became a bishop. His acts of charity and kindness continued throughout his life. He was accredited with many miracles as he roamed the countryside; one was the resurrection of three murdered children. St Nicholas is known as the patron saint of children, the poor, the persecuted, and the sick. He is depicted in pictures in his red bishop’s robe and red headdress.

The Dutch are credited for bringing the tradition of “Sinterklass” to New Amsterdam, now New York City.

Thomas Nast was a cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly. Nast began drawing images of Santa as characterized in the 1823 poem written by Clement Clark Moore, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” and later known as “Twas the Night before Christmas.” Nast submitted a series of 33 Christmas drawings to the magazine between 1863 and 1886. Nast’s drawings helped shape the modern-day version of Santa.

In the Moore poem, Santa used reindeer to get around in the snow, so Nast added the North Pole for Santa’s home. The North Pole was always cold, and there was snow year-round. At the time there was much publicity about explorations and expeditions taking place in the Arctic, generating a mystical allure in the public eye. The illustrations fit the narrative.

Later in 1931 Coca-Cola renderings by illustrator Haddon Sundblum further defined Santa in the iconic Coca-Cola ads and commercials that continue to this day.

Mrs. Santa Claus evolved over the years as different journalists and writers began adding a Mrs. Claus so Santa would not be a bachelor, and to highlight the role of women at the time on the home front. There were many iterations of Mrs. Claus over the years, as women’s roles expanded.

How did elves get in the picture? In the Moore poem, Santa is described as a “jolly old elf.” Elves were embedded in German, Scottish, and Scandinavian folklore. They could be creatures of light who lived in heaven or house gnomes with magical powers.

There was a story in Harper’s Bazaar in 1871, “The Christmas Elves,” that tells a story of magical elves who visit children during the holidays. Another poem in 1857 called, “The Wonders of Santa Claus” in Harper’s Weekly described a team of elves working to make toys, cakes, and sugar plums.

An illustrator in the 1873 Christmas edition of Godey’s Lady Book popularized the image of elves with pointed ears and hats. Normal Rockwell and television further illustrated the features of elves.

It is an amazing power of media to shape culture!

Why does jolly robust Santa come down the chimney? As early as 1,400 AD, European folklore consisted of beliefs that witches, fairies, goblins, sprites and elves, entered houses through chimneys, and in “Twas the Night before Christmas,” Santa tumbles down the chimney. This is where the hearth, being the heart of the home, provides a place for the supernatural to occur.

In Scottish folklore, a Brownie is a sprite who comes down the chimney at night to do household chores. In Italy, La Befana comes down the chimney to place gifts in the children’s shoes left at the hearth. German Pelznichol comes down chimneys to deliver sweet treats to children who have behaved throughout the year. And even in “Harry Potter” books, a floo powder is used to transport from one hearth to another. A fireplace flue is the duct that moves the smoke up the chimney. So maybe Santa’s magical powers include an anti-smoke cooling shield.

Santa did not come down the chimney or slide down the pole at the fire station in Felicity in the evening on Dec. 21. After Santa’s sleigh landed, he was whisked away in a fire truck, with the lights flashing and sirens blaring, announcing Santa’s arrival. The children could barely contain their excitement as they ran out to greet him. Santa bent down to greet them with enthusiasm of his own. They followed him into the firehouse and he greeted each one along the way.

He sat down next to the tree decorated with all firefighter ornaments. There was a genuine twinkle in Santa’s eyes as he easily bantered with the children as they came up to see him, one by one. He had an easygoing way and a winning smile that seemed to put the children at ease immediately.

Santa, AKA Donald O’Connor, began being Santa Claus at age 17. He grew up in the East End area of Cincinnati, and he and his dad and brother would go to the neighborhood homes of folks who were having a rough time, and bring them Christmas gifts.

He now lives in Clermont County and has been Santa on and off for many years in the area. He said he really enjoys the children, and he talks with them as long as they want to talk. He said for the most part they ask for toys, games, puzzles, and silly things, but once in a while he knows they want to ask for something more serious. Theresa Kabler, who organizes the program, says she has heard a child ask if Santa knew if a loved one was in heaven, or sometimes ask for a loved one to get well.

O’Connor has his own Santa costume and his wife Diane helps him put it on, and it is quite a process, especially the boots. He said he especially likes being Santa where he is needed, “where folks don’t have much,” and the parents and children are appreciative. This is all volunteer for him, and he says he has a blast.

Kabler has been organizing the Santa program for years. It is all done by the Community Helpers Association. Her husband Bill Kabler is the President of the Community Helpers Association. Bins and bins full of wrapped gifts are all organized according to age, gender, and type of gift.

The fundraisers during the year for the Christmas gifts include bingo and gun shoots.

One of the volunteers listens as the child talks with Santa, to get an idea of what kind of gift they would like, and then each child receives a gift, a bag of candy and an orange. There is also a table with cookies and goodies for all.

Kabler talks so enthusiastically about the event and all that goes into bringing it together to serve the community. She is obviously dedicated to bringing a bit of Christmas cheer to the community. By the way, when Kabler and her husband were married, they had nine children between them. However, that is not the end of the story. They then added seven more to the mix, with adoptions and biology. She said she taught them all budgeting and meal planning, and everyone contributed to running the household. So if anyone is feeling a bit stressed out this holiday season, imagine parenting 16, and your stress may just fade a bit.

Acts of kindness, service and time were witnessed at the fire station in Felicity.

“The joy of brightening other lives becomes the magic of the holidays.” – W. C. Jones

Sources for this story include:

https://www.history.com

https://www.stnicholascenter.org

https://www.britannica.com