https://youtubetranscript.com/?v=IjWbDoD2Shc
I’ve often said that the symbolism of Christmas is not straightforward. The symbolism of Christmas has in it both the light and the dark. It has the revelation of the Messiah and the slaughter of the innocents. The coming of the King and the fleeing to Egypt, it has this duality to it, which is part of its symbolism. And so this is of course related to St. Nicholas and his, let’s say, dark, strange, demonic, contrasting accompaniments where on the one hand you have the light and the dark, the angelic, the demonic, the gift, the punishment. You can understand it as life and death. If you think about the inside and the outside, it’s a wild creature with horns, similar to the way in which the Janus figure is often represented. And so it can help you understand what it is that this duality, why this duality is related to this time of year, this time of transition.