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Mountain View News Saturday, December 14, 2024


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

[Nyerges is the author of several books including “Self-Sufficient Home” 
and “How to Survive Anywhere.” He also leads wilderness classes every 
weekend. He can be reached at School of Self-Reliance, Box 41834, Eagle 
Rock, CA 90041, or www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]

KIMBA for Christmas?

Santa knows 
that Kimba 
is an absolute 
love! He has 
beautiful all 
white fur and 
big sunny 
eyes. He has 
an amazing, chill purrrsonality. He wants 
to be with with his human, making biscuits 
of love. He enjoys all his toys, and 
likes making cat friends. He has a clean 
bill of health from our veterinarian, and is 
fully vetted and neutered and age 6. The 
vet and team told us they all loved him 
while there. He was such a good boy for them. 

If you are looking for a nice sweet kitty, and want to give him the opportunity at real love, 
safety in a real home, please fill out the application at 

https://www.lifelineforpets.org/kimba.html. 


WHO IS SANTA CLAUS?

 

On a recent talk show, a woman complained that Santa Claus has gained a more 
prominent role during the Christmas season than the Jesus child. She argued that 
this was a sign that “we” have allowed secularism – and maybe even paganism – to 
creep into the Christmas tradition. What? I thought. Is she joking?

She obviously didn’t know that there really was an actual historical figure upon 
which the modern “Santa Claus” is based, and he wasn’t a so-called “pagan.”

 

Nikolas of Myra was an historical 4th century Bishop in the Catholic church of Asia Minor (modern-
day Demre, Turkey). Yes, he was a member of the still young and developing Catholic church, and 
he was a priest! He was born on March 15, 270, in Pataya, Lycia, in Asia Minor, now Turkey. At that 
time, however, the area was culturally Greek, and was politically a part of the Roman diocese of Asia. 
He was the only child of wealthy Greek parents, who both died in an epidemic when Nikolas was 
young. Nikolas (also spelled “Nicholas”) inherited a fortune from his parents, and was then raised 
by his uncle (also named Nikolas), who was a Bishop of Patara, and who trained young Nikolas into 
priesthood.

 

Nikolas was said to be religious from an early age, and he always fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Because of his outspoken beliefs, he was persecuted by the Romans and was imprisoned during the 
persecution of Diocletian.

 

In case you never heard of the “persecution of Diocletian” (I hadn’t), it was the most severe of the Ro-
man Empire’s persecutions against Christians, simply because they were Christians. It was also known 
as the “Great Persecution.” In 303, four emperors issued a series of dictatorial laws which essentially 
did away with any legal rights of Christians. The edicts demanded that the Christians comply with 
tradi-tional Roman “religious” practices, meaning, giving sacrifices to the various Roman gods. This 
persecu-tion was severe, but weakest in the British colonies where the Empire had the least sway. It 
was the most severe in the Eastern provinces, where Nikolas lived. 

 

Nikolas refused to worship the Roman gods, so he was tossed into a prison, where he was said to be 
hungry and cold for about 5 years. With the rise of Constantine, the persecutions came to an end in 
313. Constantine is known for “Christianizing” the Roman Empire, and re-naming all the Mythraic 
and so-called “pagan” holidays so they could all now be regarded as Christian holidays. With Constantine 
in power, Nikolas was released.

 

Shortly after his return to his homeland in 317 A.D., Nikolas became the Bishop of Myra. 

 

He was later invited to attend the First Council of Nicaea in 325, the famous council where much 
of the modern dogma of the Catholic church was determined by vote. Nikolas of Myra was one of 
many bishops to participate in the Council at Constantine’s request. He is listed as the 151st attendee 
at the Council. There, Nikolas was a staunch anti-Arian. Arius, from Alexandria, held the belief that 
the “Son of God” did not always exist, but was created by the Father. Of course, no one could “prove” 
either point, but those are the sorts of things they all debated. Nikolas disagreed with Arius, and defended 
the then developing orthodox Christian viewpoint. According to stories told, Nikolas got so 
angry at Arius that he punched him in the face! Really? Proto-Santa Claus punches a fellow man of 
the cloth? Wow! That would make an awesome video! 

 Back in his homeland, Nikolas became known as the generous bishop. Remember, he inherited 
wealth from his parents, and he would sometimes give gold and other valuables to those that he 
learned were in need. In one case, it is said that Nikolas tossed a bag of gold coins into a needy family’s 
yard, anony-mously. He was said to be humble, and didn’t want to be seen giving money to people, so 
he did it secretly. He was so famous for giving such gifts in private when he traveled the countryside, 
children were told to go to sleep quickly or Nikolas would not come with gifts. This, apparently, is the 
origin of telling children to go to sleep or that Santa will not come.

 In one story, he apparently snuck into the home of a family where the three daughters of a poor 
man were about to get married. Nikolas put some gold into the stockings which the girls left by the fire 
to dry. This, apparently, is the origin of hanging up stockings on Christmas eve.

He was also well known for the gifts that he gave to newly married couples during the already-established 
Christmas season.

 Nikolas was a complex man, part of the new Catholic tradition which began to celebrate the 
birth of Jesus on the already observed winter solstice. (Early Judeo-Christians did not celebrate the 
birth of Jesus, a date that has been lost to history, but historian know that Jesus was definitely not born 
on December 25).

 Nikolas died on December 6, 343, which is to this day known as “Saint Nicholas Day.” Upon 
his death, he was buried in the cathedral of Myra. He is revered as a saint in most versions of Christianity 
and is especially honored in Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

 By the year 450, churches in Greece and Asia Minor were being named in honor of Nikolas. 
He was officially honored as a saint by the Eastern Catholic Church in 800. December 6 began to be 
celebrated as Bishop Nicholas Day in France by the 1200s. 

As time went on, when ever someone received a mysterious gift, it would be attributed to Saint 
Nicholas! 

 

The Dutch called Saint Nicholas “Sinterklass,” which is the most likely manner in which the name 
Saint Nicholas gradually evolved into “Santa Claus.” Along the way, Saint Nicholas was given some of 
the attributes of Odin, the Norse God, who could travel through the sky and who had a secret home 
some-where around the north pole. Come to think of it, even the Superman story borrowed from 
Odin. 

 

The image continued to evolve over the years, with the Coco Cola company giving the world our modern 
“Santa Claus,” a somewhat sanitized and plumper Saint Nicholas with their early 20th century ads. 
This is when we began to see the fatter bearded man in the red suit. 

 

Today, the man you see in the mall is the condensation of fact and myth, embodying the generosity of 
one Catholic Bishop, the good will of all who gave gifts in his stead, and bits of the mythology of Odin. 
Nicholas was not a “pagan,” and he was not a myth. He lived, and he continues to in the hearts and 
minds of all those who keep him alive.


Pet of the Week

 This gentle 4-year-old husky is a sweet soul with a shy side, 
but with a little patience, his warm personality shines through. 
Casper may be a bit nervous at first in new environments and 
meeting new people, but he eventually begins to settle and 
even enjoys a cozy nap.

 On a leash, Casper is a dream—he’s easy to handle, doesn’t 
pull, and is easily redirected from distractions like squirrels 
or other dogs. During a walk in the park, another off-leash 
husky ran up to him, and Casper handled it like a pro. His 
body was relaxed, tail wagging, and he was friendly. They 
even shared a polite sniff before moving along calmly.Casper 
loves gentle attention and will come up for pets and affection 
once he’s comfortable. He’s curious yet cautious around new 
people, sometimes taking a step back before warming up. Once he’s familiar, though, he’s 
affectionate, friendly, and even easy to manage.Casper will thrive in a calm, understanding 
home that gives him the space and time to open up at his own pace. With his gentle nature 
and love for quiet companionship, he’ll make a loyal, loving friend.The adoption fee for dogs 
is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines. 

 Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 2:00 – 5:00. For those who prefer, adoption 
appointments are available daily from 10:30 – 1:30 and can be scheduled online. View photos 
of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org.

 New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal 
Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet. 

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone 
calls or email.

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