How Santa took over Christmas - Sorry, Saint Nicholas

It’s Christmas time! 🎄
And yes… I finally opened the last door of my Advent calendar!
Wait…Christmas calendar or Advent calendar? Hmmm…oh, you know what I mean.
That thing where you open one little door every day from December 1 to December 24.
Yes. That one 😂

Every year I buy myself a chocolate calendar. Every year. No shame.
But THIS year my husband surprised me.

Tum tum tum tuuuum 🥁
STAR WARS LEGO ADVENT CALENDAR!!!

Ohhh the happiness 💪💪

So now, instead of eating chocolate every day, I’m building Lego.
Honestly? Best upgrade ever. Wuhuuuu! 🚀

Ok…guys…you know what is coming…yes! History timeeeee 😂💪

Christmas Eve, Jesus, Santa, and how this whole thing escalated

Before I was still living home, my whole family gathered on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It felt very old, very traditional, very serious. Candles, food, family, silence… for about 10 minutes.

But Christmas didn’t start like this. Not even close.
So let me walk you through how we went from quiet night prayers to Santa breaking into houses and leaving gifts.

Yes. This is that story.

First! Why Christmas Eve even exists?

Christmas Eve is important because people believe Jesus was born during the night. Early Christians loved the night.
Night was calm, spiritual, and perfect for deep thoughts like:
“Why am I still awake?”
and
“How long is this prayer?”

Back then, Christmas Eve was all about church, candles, and singing. No gifts. No trees. No decorations. Just vibes and religion.
Kids had to behave. Adults had to behave. Honestly, sounds illegal today.

Long before Christianity, people were already celebrating in winter. Not because they were bored… but because winter was scary.
Cold. Dark. No supermarkets. No heating.
So when the winter solstice arrived, people celebrated light, fire, and the fact that they were still alive.

The celebration was basically:
“The sun is coming back. We survived. Let’s eat everything.”

When Christianity arrived, the Church looked at this and said:
“Okay… we’ll take this. Same timing. New meaning.”

Smart move.

Gifts? Not yet… calm down.

At the beginning, there were no gifts. Christmas was about faith, not shopping.
Later, gifts entered the story because of the Three Wise Men, who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, (yeah, some kind of plant) to baby Jesus.

Great symbolism. Terrible baby shower.
But the idea stuck…important birth = gifts.

Then comes Saint Nicholas, a real historical figure and probably the nicest guy in this entire story.

He helped poor people, gave gifts secretly, and didn’t look for attention. Gifts were small and often placed in shoes or socks. No one filmed unboxings.

His day was December 6, and for a long time, that was gift day in many parts of Europe.
Simple. Quiet. Wholesome.

Over time, Saint Nicholas evolved differently across countries.
In the Netherlands, he became Sinterklaas.
When Dutch settlers moved to America, Sinterklaas slowly turned into Santa Claus.
Then artists, writers, and companies said:
“Let’s upgrade him.”
So Santa became bigger, louder,happier,
dressed in red, and emotionally dependent on cookies

Coca-Cola helped a lot with the red suit. Marketing wins again. 🤔😂

The meaning changed, the rituals evolved, but the core idea stayed the same…
light in darkness, hope in winter, and people coming together.

Also… snacks. A lot of snacks.

And honestly, for a tradition that started thousands of years ago, Christmas is doing pretty well.

And my Christmas?

Like every year… I’m working.

But that’s not a bad thing.
Seeing my residents so happy when their families come to visit them…
You can see the gratefulness in their eyes. And that’s beautiful.

After I met my husband, I also changed my tradition.
I’m not allowed to open my gifts on Christmas Eve anymore 😒
Only Christmas morning.

And because I’m working, that means I’ll be awake at 5 o’clock,
coffee in one hand ☕
and gifts in the other 💪