Naughty priest tells school kids that Santa may not exist

Ellie. I see what you mean... Clifford`s article is really great... on monday I bought a new Renault 5 since getting a cheque for $8007 this-last/five weeks and-just over, $10,000 this past month. this is definitely the most comfortable job I've ever done. I actually started 5 months ago and straight away was bringing home at least $84... p/h. ,wow92.com

You know, talking #More... and ... more and more and more and more...# about the story of why we have Christmas present-giving and the legends of Santa Claus below, I couldn’t help but recall the one where everything went wrong for Santa Claus one Christmas Eve as he made final preparations for his night's work. Missus Claus had come down with the ‘flu, couldn’t help him in any way. He looked for the elves, only to find they'd gone off to the pub to relax and chat over a meal and drinks, now that all their worthy work was done. He perspiringly loaded up the sleigh all by himself, silently scunching through the snow, knowing that he couldn't let anyone down, only to hear a loud crack as part of the sleigh floor collapsed and all his bags of presents fell out onto the snow. He spent hours fixing the sleigh all by his own angry self, repackaged all the presents by every single child’s name, re-loaded the sleigh and then felt he needed a drink before setting off. He opened the cupboard only to find minx had knocked over and smashed all the bottles and spilt everything on the floor. Calming himself down, he went out to the stables to check the reindeers and bridle them up, only to find three of them down with frostbite and two others missing altogether. He fumed, knowing that he had to be happy, bring his smiling face to everyone’s home, so he went back into the house to have a cup of tea and calm down, only to find there was no milk or sugar left. In his desparation, just as he felt nothing could get worse, he prayed. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Blood boiling mad now, he stomped over to it, opened the door to see a glorious angel with a Christmas tree in his hand. The angel gently said “I’ve brought you a beautiful Christmas Tree. Where would you like to put it?” And so began the legend of the angel at the top of the Christmas tree. (Terrible, aren't I??)

(…more) It is we as Christian parents and adults who carry on St. Nicholas’ tradition of giving secret presents to our children (in little bags and stockings) and to charitable causes at Christmas time, extending the same gift of delight that St. Nicholas spread around in his community, to our own children, families, friends and bereft strangers. When my mother finally told me of the reality of Santa Claus, I was devastated, felt I’d been cheated all along! When the time came for me to tell my own children about the reality of Santa Claus, I softened the blow, telling them that St. Nicholas, San Nicolas, Sinterclaas (even black-suited Swedish Santa Clause and Coca Cola’s red “Sanny Claws”) would always be with us in spirit at Christmas time and that we should respect his secret present-giving and continue it all our lives at this time of year. Long live Santa Claus!!! Tell that to the silly priest... but us Dubliners can really understand his stupidity... he is, after all a Kerryman...

(… more) What hermitTalker refers to as St. Nicholas’ fame heading ‘North’ relates to his miraculous liquid being brought home north from Italy by pilgrims from Switzerland, Holland and Sweden etc., and their people adopting his habit of giving presents, actually before Christmas Day, on 6th of December. It equally relates to his fame spreading north out of Turkey into Christian Russia (where he is much revered). In Dutch, San Nicholas is pronounced Sinterclaas which gives us our English Santa Claus. In Sweden, Santa Claus’ outfit was (still?) coloured black or a very dark green with white trimmings and his folklore magic sleigh was pulled by Sweden’s native reindeers (geddit? Christmas game: name all the reindeers’ names without cheating). When the Coca-Cola Company in the USA used Santa for the first of their excellent Christmas adverts they changed his colours to their red-coloured brand and that’s why today we see silly red-suited, white bearded men ringing bells on every street corner these days of December, instead of black or dark green. That ting-a-ling, ding-a-ling, diinnnng-a-linnng sound everywhere drives me… well, I better not say anymore on that! (more…)

(…more) St. Nicholas’ remains were “taken for safety reasons” (erm, for that, read ‘stolen’) from Myra by Italian merchants and most of his bones now lie in the Church of San Nicholas in Bari, Italy. The rest of his bones are in a church of the same name in Venice, Italy, and some scraps of bones left behind in Myra by the hurrying marauding Italian merchants are in a Christian Church near old Myra. I read that the Turkish Christian Church has recently asked the Italians to return the stolen remains (that’s some hope... but ye never know!). His fame as a miracle worker persists today: a liquid substance called ‘Manna di San Nichola’ which oozes from his remains in Bari (Roman Catholic Church) and from the scraps of bones left behind by the Italian ‘merchants’ in Myra (Greek Orthodox Church), only on his Saint’s feast-day, Dec 6th every year, is said to have miraculous curative powers. Scientific tests carried out some years ago show that the bones in Bari, Venice and in the town now nearest to old Myra are from the same man. I got that info from an investigative TV documentary. (more…)

Silly priest! hermitTalker says it right about St. Nicholas of the ancient city of Myra, in Turkey, and how presents mysteriously appeared in poor people’s homes in Myra. During a pilgrimage to Christian shrines in Egypt, Turkey-born St. Nicholas learned of the depth of Christian charity, came home to Myra, deeply believing in it. He inherited great family wealth after his parents died and, as the later young Bishop of Myra, used to go out in the dark of night and secretly throw little bags of his family’s money through the open windows of poor peoples’ homes for their wondering delight at dawn. Legend has it that he was once he was caught out by a man throwing the money bag through a window and thereafter changed to throwing the bags down chimneys (and so today we have Santa coming down chimneys). Legend also has it that a poor woman in Myra who had hung her stockings out to dry over the dying fire, found the money bag that St. Nicholas threw down the chimney had landed in her stocking (which today gives us the traditional Christmas stocking over the mantelpiece). (More…)

mreinhar. I as a parent thoroughly emjoyed sharing Sant and all that came with him with each of my children. I could never imagine my children going to school with a story that would have left them somewhat unpopular and freakish. The Myth of Santa is a good one, even if we don`t like him so well when we have to pay for the presents. lol

When I taught Humanities in the USA I asked the studetns as we discussed Myth if they beleived in Santa. I EXPLhad already explained that Myth in the popular sense means "it never happened." But Myth in the classsical sense means that there is Truth, but not all of the story is true in the popular sense. Santa Claus was a bishop in southern modern Turkey, Myra. wealthy family, he gave his possessions awat. He became a symbol for Christmas gift giving- then when the Gospel went North he was tied to a Norse figure who rode through the sky- red and white and cap are bishop's robes/vestments. Jesus came as Gift at Christmas so we are given that gift. That is the Truth of that Myth so we exchange gifts. The same row was caused by the reports of the Pope and the animals in the crib. Isaiah 1;4 said to the Jewish people " The ox and donkey recognise their master, can you not." St Francis put them in his crib scene- knowing his Bible but that lessom was lost, so even our parish priest here did not know that and took another of his occasional swipes at the Pope. ignorance is not bliss for sure!

Maybe folks have a problem with a priest telling the truth, but the stranger part of the story is the school and parents' efforts to tell the kids that Santa is real. Now when they learn that Santa is not real, they will be even more shocked learning that what their parents told them was a lie.

Guess who`s not dressing up as Santa any time soon.

Obviously children are also not his area of expertise!!!

Why would they let this man anywhere near young children?

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At least the priest didn't lie. Besides kids have to learn the harsh realities of life sometime.

Listen Children: a jolly figure travelling the world delivering gifts is not something you should believer in. Stick with the Jewish zombie masochists who was his own father whose ma bore him without breaking her hymen. That's reality to a deluded priest.