Santa Lucia

I am not Swedish.  Which is a bit crazy, because I feel like I have a lot of European variety in the family tree.  But I did grow up in a church denomination that has its origins in Sweden, which is why I know that today is Santa Lucia Day.

You can find out about the history of Santa Lucia Day here.  I have to be honest-- most of what I know about Santa Lucia involves wearing a wreath with candles on your head (thrilling!) and wearing white (less so...).  I have several Scandinavian friends, and some of my favorite times in New Zealand were when all of us got together to share our holiday traditions from home with each other.  Santa Lucia was always a part of that time, and there was usually a Star Boy as well in the mix, which was even better, as far as comedy goes.  Star Boy is traditionally a little boy, but we always had fully grown Scandinavian men showing us the tradition, and the hat (note the picture above), while adorable on a child, is kind of laughable on a man.

Anyway, I'm glad I took the time to research a little bit about who Santa Lucia was, and why she is celebrated. The origins of this story tell us about someone who cared for the poor and made an effort to bring the light of Jesus into the lives of hungry and hurt people.  As beautiful as the celebration is, the heart behind it is even more so.  May we all be inspired by Santa Lucia and her willingness to reach out to those in need.

I also wouldn't mind seeing more grown men wearing pointy star hats.