
I copied this from the St. Matthew's Episcopal Church weekly newsletter.
Thoughts on Children and Santa Claus
- Linnae Peterson
He's a jolly old elf..... the story on Santa Claus goes back much further than Clement Moore's poem. In fact the original title of the poem is "A Visit from St. Nicolas". St. Nicholas lived in the 4th century on what today is the coast of Turkey. He was known for his generosity to the poor, children and sailors. Many of the stories tell of his giving to others and helping them in secret. He was Bishop of Myra and in Sweden, Denmark, Spain and other countries you will see him dressed as a bishop.
Perhaps the best way to honor St. Nicholas would be to follow his example and find way to help other, in secret. Have a family discussion and decide how your family can be secret saints. I'd love to hear your ideas. Send them to Linnae.peterson@gmail.com

Book suggestion
There are hundreds of wonderful Children's books that touch on Christmas. The list below is just a few suggestions. Check the library and bookstore for many more. Many of these can be found at St. Matthew's.
Ages 0-2
Who is Coming to Our House? Joseph Slate, Ashley Wolff Sandcastle Books (Christmas)
2. The Christmas Story Leon Baxter-Lion Book (Bible Story)
Follow the Star Allie Zobel-Nolan- Readers Digest Kids (Bible Story)
The First Christmas Allie Zobel-Nolan- Readers Digest Kids (Bible Story)
Ages 3-4
Santa's Favorite Story Hisako Aoki, Ivan Gantschev Simon and Schuster (Christmas)
Room for a Little One Martin Waddell , Jason Cockcroft- Simon and Schuster (Christmas)
For Every Child a Star Thomas Yeomans - Holiday House (Christmas)
The Donkey's Christmas Story Nancy Tafuri Scholastic (Christmas)
Wombat Divine Mem Fox- Trumpet Books (Inclusion)
The Gifts of Christmas Mark Bernthal- Lyrick Publishing (Generosity, includes St. Francis)
Ages 5-6
The Christmas Candle Richard Paul Evans- Simon and Schuster (Christmas)
All Safe in the Stable Mig Holder - Candle Books (Christmas)
The Baker's Dozen Aaron Shepard - Atheneum (Christmas)
Marta and the Manger Straw Virginia Kroll- Zondervan (Christmas)
The Little Boy's Christmas Gift John Speirs- Harry Abrams Publishers (Christmas, great illustrations)
Ages 7-8
Why Chirstmas Trees Aren't Perfect Richard H. Schneider- Abingdon Press (Christmas, inclusion)
Saint Francis and the Christmas Donkey Robert Byrd- Dutton Children's Books (Christmas)
The Christmas PromiseSusan Bartoletti- Scholastic (Generosity)
The Crippled Lamb Max Lucado- Tommy Nelson Publishers (Christmas)
Miriam's Cup Fran Manushkin- Scholastic Press (Passover)
The Give-Away Ray Buckley- Abingdon Press (Native American Christmas)
Spirit Child John Bierhorst - SeaStar Books (Native American Christmas)
The Legend of the Candy Cane Lori Walburg- Zondervan Publishing ( Christmas)
The Christmas Ship Dean Morrissey- Harper Collins (Christmas)
The Night of Las Posadas Tomie dePaola- Penguin Putnam Press (Christmas)