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Whatever his roots, Santa is about giving By Paul Fattig Let�s get this straight at the outset: Paul Robinson hasn�t had any spiked egg nog. Nary a drop. He�s sober, sane and smart. Besides, Robinson, 59, has been a man of the cloth for nearly 30 years. He�s the minister at the Medford Congregational United Church of Christ. He�s a solid, responsible citizen. And he is very bright, despite having two college degrees. Yet the guy believes in Santa Claus. "There is not one of us who doesn�t believe in some kind of Santa Claus," he explains. "That�s what gives us the image of the spirit of giving, of unquestioned acceptance, of uninhibited love." But he�s not talking about the big body that lands with a thump on the rooftop the night before Christmas. Rather, he is referring to the spirit Santa Claus embodies. "When else during the year do we talk about the mysterious quality of giving and the good that we do when we give to others?" he asks, then adds, "The spirit of giving is a universal quality, no matter what religion." He will tell you that Santa Claus can be traced to St. Nicholas, a Christian bishop born in Turkey 280 A.D. St. Nick was a kindly gentleman who became the patron saint of sailors, bakers and travelers, he notes. As for the holiday itself, he sees it is a cultural amalgamation of celebrating Christ, the winter solstice and St. Nick. Growing out of all that is a Christmas tree with pagan roots, he adds. "Santa Claus is a very good example of how a religious belief evolves," he says. "But there has always been a struggle between the secular and the religious holiday. "I think that�s good," he adds. "It�s also inevitable. We are all secular and religious creatures." But he notes modern-day Christmas with its commercialized Santa is the result of good old Yankee ingenuity when it came to selling merchandise. As a result, the holiday season has become too focused on materialism, he says. "The idea of giving is what we need to get back into for the Christmas season," he says. "The problem is that Christmas fell right into the lap of consumerism. The idea of gift giving was more than anyone could resist after the Great Depression. It just exploded. "Consumption became the norm," he adds. "We�ve gone from �giving� to �getting.� " Connecticut-born Robinson was raised in his faith. His father before him was a minister of the same religion, which can be traced to the Puritans of New England. "The Puritans refused to celebrate Christmas because they felt it was a pagan holiday," Paul Robinson observes. "They were not big fans of Saint Nicholas or any of the saints." After high school, he earned a philosophy degree in college and served four years in the Air Force. Upon his discharge, he returned to college to earn a master�s degree in divinity. In addition to following his father�s footsteps, he has also made a point of speaking out about the virtues of giving. "Santa Claus captures the idea of the religious value of giving," he says. "But you turn it into a secular thing, and it becomes too much the spirit of getting." Don�t get him wrong: he embraces the Christmas season with all its colorful trappings, including the Christmas tree. But he and his wife, Kathy Helmer, make a point each year of giving alternative gifts. "My family has caught onto that," he says. "One member of my family sent a Christmas card this year that gave us a donation to a low-income retirement center." Indeed, he is not suggesting we turn into Grinches with garlic in our souls and hearts two sizes too small. But he would tell you that it ultimately dawned on even the Grinch that Christmas is more than mountains of stuff. "We believe in Santa Claus in a different way than when we were children," he says. "It becomes the spirit of giving." When seen under that light, the image of Old St. Nick shines bright and clear, he says. As for the jolly old fellow�s future, Robinson figures that�s up to all of us out in Whoville. "For those who can relate to Santa Claus, it must be a symbol of giving, not getting," he says. "That�s the only way it will survive." You can reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.