Santa Claus threw hands

Back when I was in Jesuit high school, I heard a Christmas story that has stuck with me ever since. They told us that the real-life St. Nicholas, the guy we base Santa Claus on, the jolly, kind, generous bringer of gifts, once attended an early church council where a heretic was teaching some wild stuff… and Nicholas straight-up clocked him.

That’s right. Santa Claus threw hands

I remember thinking, this is the same man we picture smiling by the fireplace, handing out presents, full of goodwill… and in this moment he decided the right thing to do was punch a guy in the face.

Whether the story happened exactly that way or not, the lesson still lands.

You can be the kindest, most generous, most well-intentioned person in the room… and still know when something needs to be confronted. Sometimes stupidity, pride, ego, or nonsense needs to be checked. And sometimes the person you need to “clock” is yourself.

You need to understand this…Know when to encourage… and when to correct.Know when to give grace… and when to get honest.Know when to let things slide… and when to call yourself out.

Be good. Be kind. Be generous. And guess what?

You are going to get it wrong, a lot. That’s okay. But when something in your life is getting out of line, whether it’s someone else or your own mindset, you have to be willing to give it a well-placed wake-up call.

Even Santa knew that sometimes, people need to be punched in the mouth.