Pilgrimage Ponderings
Kriss Kringle
I grew up watching all of the children's Christmas shows, like Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and Frosty the Snowman. And I've always wondered about the origins of the name "Kriss Kringle" for Santa Claus. This week, I've read that the name Kriss Kringle is an adaptation of the German word Christkindlein, or "Christ Child." It seems that in some European traditions, the Christkindlein travels with Saint Nicholas to deliver gifts to children.
There was a time when I thought of the American Christmas experience as two distinct and perhaps even incompatible traditions operating side-by-side. One tradition was the holy celebration of the Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. And the other was the commercialized promotion of greed.
I'm starting to re-think that idea. It is definitely true that the marketplace has perverted good things for the sake of making a profit. But nearly all of our Christmas traditions are rooted in the Church. I can't help but wonder what it would mean for people of faith to reclaim Kriss Kringle, not as the giver of stuff, of things, but as the ultimate giver of incomprehensible grace and overflowing love for all creation.
