Green Options » Saint Nicholas http://greenoptions.com/tag/saint-nicholas Posts tagged 'Saint Nicholas' Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:27:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Searching for Peace, Love and Santa Claus http://ecoworldly.com/2007/12/24/searching-for-santa-peace-and-love/ http://ecoworldly.com/2007/12/24/searching-for-santa-peace-and-love/#comments Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:27:03 +0000 Gavin Hudson http://ecoworldly.com/2007/12/24/searching-for-santa-peace-and-love/ santa-claus.jpgThe German intellectual, Georg Lichtenberg, once said that “to do just the opposite is also a form of imitation,” but reversing Saint Nicholas’ image is certainly not the most sincere way to flatter it.

What’s the truth about Santa Claus? Who is this large, jovial fellow with flying reindeer and hordes of merry elves? If the truth about Saint Nicholas can lay the commercial icon to rest, maybe it can also restore the true meaning of Christmas as a time of peace on Earth, love and goodwill toward all.

Santa as a commercial icon undercuts the ideology of benevolence and humble giving. See this video on the chain of consumption for an idea of who gets left out when Santa goes corporate. A truer idea of the real Saint Nicholas and his current image around the world might reconnect us with the greater feelings of compassion and caring that should symbolize this (and every) season.

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