“He know when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good”
These are familiar words from the song Santa Claus is Coming to Town. On Christmas day I 
was thinking about the legend of Santa Claus which is based on Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was a real person. He was the Bishop of Myra in Greece, in the year 300. Because of the many miracles attributed to his him he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker. He reportedly also had a penchant for secret gift giving and his legend grew over the next 1700 years.
Discerning whether you are bad or good and bestowing gifts accordingly are what Santa Claus, the modern version of Saint Nicholas, does. The type of omniscience about behavior attributed to him is usually attributed to another figure; God. The difference between them is that with God, gifts are given regardless whether you are bad or good, it is called grace, a spontaneous gift from God, undeserved and unexpected.
If you are giving gifts this Christmas time, the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus, are you giving them in the spirit of God or the modern Santa Claus? Are your gifts given without expectation and judgement? So Be good for Godness sake…
Roger Vincent Jasaitis 