St. Nick's Family Night

by Rev. MATTHEW BROWN

The classic dilemma during Christmastime is that our celebrations— the shopping, the decorations, the office parties—can cause us to overlook the best parts of the season. Ideally, the Nativity of Christ inspires in us goodwill toward our neighbors, gratitude for God’s blessings, joy in knowing that God is Immanuel, and wonder at the miracle of the Incarnation. But it doesn’t always work out that way. We end up mentally distracted, and some of us have trouble getting our families to the liturgical services.

At my parish, Holy Apostles, in Saddle Brook, NJ, we’ve established a tradition that helps: a family night on the eve of the feast of Saint Nicholas. It’s a perfect occasion for tapping into childhood memories of Christmas and for adding a spiritual dimension to the festivities. Though the event is all about the parish’s children, it provides spiritual nourishment for their parents too. Sometimes the simple Christmas messages we heard as kids still speak to us.

This past year, which was our second time around, we started with Vespers— primarily sung, read, and served by the children of the parish. We had rehearsed with them for several weeks beforehand during Church School. Most children cherish the opportunity to play the adult. It made the kids feel empowered and gave them an opportunity to take ownership of the common prayers of their faith. It also imparted a deeper familiarity with the services.

Afterward the children sat on the floor as I read them the life of Saint Nicholas. We used Jim Forest’s book, Saint Nicholas and the Nine Golden Coins. I paused at certain points during the reading to ask questions of the children, such as, “Tell me what you already know about Saint Nicholas?” They replied, “He’s Santa Claus” or “He gave gold coins to children.”

At the conclusion of the story, a special guest arrived to greet all the children. You guessed it: Saint Nick! And he had a bag of traditional Saint Nicholas gifts for the kids: gold coins, candy canes, and oranges. Even little chocolate lumps of coal were handed out (to the adults). Assembling a suitable wardrobe for Saint Nick was a bit tricky the first year, but now we have the costume on hand. The only hard part is finding a volunteer to play the part. Afterward there were refreshments and sweets in the parish hall. People stayed around for an hour talking, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. All this on a weekday night! Even those in the parish who do not have children came and found joy in the nostalgia and festivities.

For two years in a row this event has successfully drawn all the parish’s children into the church at the same time —a rare feat. It is perhaps the most wellattended service by families, rivaled only by Mother’s Day. This second year we also attracted a few neighborhood families with young children by posting the event on Facebook.

Saint Nicholas is our most widely known and beloved saint. He has the power to draw even those who rarely step through the doors of a church. There is something about what he symbolizes that breaks through some of the indifference, hardness, and busyness of people’s souls. Perhaps evenings like Saint Nick’s Family Night make everybody feel like they are in heaven, just for a little while.

The Reverend Matthew Brown is theSecretary of the Diocese of New Yorkand New Jersey and the editor-in-chiefof Jacob's Well. He is the rector of HolyApostles Orthodox Church in SaddleBrook, New Jersey.