The feast of St Nicholas, the real Santa Claus, falls this weekend (6 December) and sparked Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy to consider the seasonal matter of gifts. Image via Catholic Online.

As we move through Advent, I enjoy reflecting on the poem by Christina Rossetti, 'In the Bleak Midwinter.' Born in 1830, she was the youngest child of a great artistic family; as well as her talented siblings, her father was an Italian poet, and her mother, whilst not herself of an artist, was the sister of John William Polidori – the author of one of the first English vampire stories, 'The Vampyre', in 1819. Christina, growing up in a household overflowing with artistic ideas, soon began to show promise as a poet. By the age of twelve she had written a book of poetry, and by eighteen she had published her first two poems (Death's Chill Between and Heart's Chill Between) in the literary magazine 'Athenaeum.' Her most popular collection Goblin Market and Other Poems was published in 1862. She was one of the leading female poets of her generation and her work was greatly admired by her contemporaries such as the poet-laureate, Tennyson-her influence can be seen in the works as diverse as Gerard Manley-Hopkins and J.K Rowling.

What can I give Him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd

I would bring a lamb,

If I were a wise man

I would do my part,

Yet what I can I give Him,

Give my heart

From 'In the Bleak Midwinter, Christina Rossetti

'In the Bleak Midwinter', published in 1872 is a poem of its Victorian roots. It is said that Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert, gave the world what we see as the 'traditional Christmas' with trees, lights, food and warmth. Victorian artists such as Rossetti and Dickens helped to popularise this vision and the idealism that her poem shows. People argue that Bethlehem could not experience a 'bleak midwinter' where 'frosty winds made moan', where 'snow had fallen, snow on snow': Rossetti transposes her experience of a Victorian winter in London to the Middle East. On my first visit to the Holy Land, the Jerusalem region was recovering from a severe snowfall—it can happen and was devastating for a region not accustomed to severe weather. In her poem, Rossetti describes the humanity of the first Christmas in a vivid way describing the stable animals and the mothering instinct of Mary:

... only His Mother

In her maiden bliss

Worshipped the Beloved

With a kiss.

My personal favourite verse is the final one, quoted near the start of this article. It anchors Rossetti's theology in the reality of the everyday; it talks of bringing Christmas gifts and reminds us of what the shepherds and wisemen brought to honour the birth of the messiah. 'Poor as I am', I am invited, in the here and now, to 'do my part' and 'give my heart'. This year, more than most, we have been very aware of people giving so much in the most trying of circumstances. We are aware of the generosity and bravery of those key workers in our hospitals, schools, shops and parishes. We rightly remember the gift to the nation of 'Captain/Sir Tom' and his walk of fame, emulated by thousands of others. The love and compassion that we have witnessed over this past year have been amazing and have shown the basic goodness of humanity—a humanity that we share with Christ-child in Bethlehem:

When He comes to reign:

In the bleak mid-winter

A stable-place sufficed

The Lord God Almighty —

Jesus Christ.

For Christmas 2020, we are invited to gift our hearts once again, as seen through the gifts we exchange with loved ones. On this day, 6th December, the Church celebrates the feast of St Nicholas of Myra. As a Bishop, he was known for his habit of leaving gifts—sometimes in the socks drying by the fireside. His reputation spread beyond his locality as he was seen as the saint of generosity and kindness. In many European countries, today is the day when gifts are exchanged, remembering the kindness of Nicholas: in Holland children put out clogs filled with hay and a carrot for St Nicholas' horse, while in Poland 'nice' children hope to wake up with a gift from St Nicholas under their pillows. It is easy to see how this 'saint of giving' morphed into 'Father Christmas' or 'Santa Claus'—the Dutch name for St Nicholas is 'Sinterklaas'. I have a very fond memory of just twelve months ago when Br Martin SDB, dressed as St Nicholas came to greet the parish children and shared the gift that is the saint's heritage.

We still have another three weeks to go before Christmas Day—gifts under the tree will remain wrapped. In these unusual days, we will probably still be on the lookout for the presents we want to share. Our retail options are having to change with the closure of such shopping giants as 'Top Shop', 'Debenhams' and 'Burtons'. COVID-19 has highlighted an issue that has been coming for a long time: why trail around a high street in the cold and mist when I can choose a gift, have it wrapped and delivered all from the comfort and warmth of my home? With needed social distancing and being told to spend no more that fifteen minutes in a store, why would people want to risk it? Many of us have used our laptops for work, school, leisure and sports; for those of us who have this facility, it is so easy to add our Christmas shopping too. But the first COVID-19 lockdown showed us quite starkly that all too many people do not have this access to computers and internet connections, or the ability to use them.

I am sure you will want to give your wrapped gifts to loved ones, but the legacy of both St Nicholas and Christina Rossetti point to sharing our deepest gift of love with those we appreciate. Circumstances of this particular year will mean that we will be unable to share our love and care with people who are no longer with us—physically or emotionally. We will miss the warmth of their smile, the jokes that they have shared with us, and the stories that they have told. Christmas 2020 will teach us to appreciate even more those family members and friends who have always been there for us unconditionally.

Today, on this feast of giving, I urge you to give yourself the gift of time, and perhaps light a candle and listen to heart-warming Christmas music. Pray for the ones gifted to you, especially those you cannot see this year; we may have to delve into our past to remember them. Enjoy those memories as you look back on previous Christmas times, not under plague conditions. I hope that those memories are positive; even if they are not, I hope you can learn from them. This time of year we traditionally look back, as we enter a new year. We look to 2021 with hope, especially our hope in a vaccine—a preventive that will bring life and an ability to return to the normality that we crave. We cannot ignore our past, indeed we need to build on it, and a solid building needs firm and deep foundations. The author Eleanor Brown sees the need for embracing our past and making a difference:

There are times in our lives when we have to realise our past is precisely what it is, and we cannot change it. But we can change the story we tell ourselves about it, and by doing that, we can change the future.

Eleanor Brown, 'The Weird Sisters'

Christina Rossetti urges us to embrace the gift that is Christmas and share it with those we meet. I hear it said that people only come to church at Christmas to be comforted and consoled, not to be challenged; that what they want is the carols and the crib, the tinsel and the tree, Santa and the snowman, but that we do not want the challenge of Christmas. We cannot allow Jesus to become the prisoner of the crib, but allow him to grow and challenge us by his actions and words. Christmas is a truly challenging story: it is the story of a teenage mother, a confused husband and of a homeless family that finds no welcome. We meet farm labourers left to the mercy of the wolves and the thieves of the night, and a wicked king who stoops to using any violence that secures his throne. We see the all too familiar experience of a family forced into exile and in search of asylum—an unwanted family in a foreign country.

Christmas was never meant to be a comfortable story. Christmas is irrelevant unless we bear in mind the whole purpose of Christmas: it is God's identification with us in the flesh, in the here-and-now; with our sufferings and hardships as we live them out; his identification with us that becomes complete on the Cross on Good Friday; his identification with us that triumphs over all that is bleak and miserable with the Resurrection on Easter morning. Jesus, the child of Bethlehem, is the gift of love for the whole world who overcomes the 'bleak midwinters' of indifference, hatred and selfishness that we can all face at times. Aware of the gifts we receive, we realise that it is the care we share for each other that make all the difference:

When wounds are healed by love

The scars are beautiful.

David Bowles, 'Kintsukuroi'

Christmas, the season of goodwill and hope, offers us so much as we share our own 'giftedness'. At Christmas, God does the very opposite of walking away. At Christmas, God does the very opposite of putting the blame on others.At Christmas, God does the very opposite of refusing to identify with the suffering, those on the margins, the victims and the losers. At Christmas, God throws all the rules aside, defies all expectations, behaves in a way that is totally selfless and unselfish. He seeks no rewards, no benefits, no pay-offs, no dividends. He just comes in search of humanity, in all dejection and rejection. He just seeks you and me.

We celebrate this feast of Nicholas and, in spite of a global pandemic you will want to exchange your gifts, either today, or on Christmas Day, or even at the Epiphany. I pray that you never loose your sense of wonder as you look at the image of the crib; make sure that the crib is obvious in your homes and make sure that everyone is aware of the depth of the symbolism brought into your home for God is with us:

In a corner stall of pilgrim strangers,

She falls and heaves, holding a tide of tears.

A red wire of pain feeds through every vein,

Until night unweaves and the child reaches dawn.

Outside each other now, she sees him first,

Flesh of her flesh, her dreamt son safe on earth.

John O'Donohue, 'The Nativity'

One Voice Children's Choir sing 'Memories' by Maroon 5