Did you know that Santa Claus was a real person? Santa Claus was originally known as Saint Nicholas and he loved children. During the Third Century AD, Nicholas was born in what is now known today as the country of Turkey. Born into great wealth and influence, the later as an adult, Nicholas noticed the many poor, especially children who suffered from not only hunger, but from sickness as well. He decided to spend much of his family’s wealth to bless and help many of those poor kids, even some adults
One of the most well-known stories about Saint Nicholas was how he rescued three sisters from being sold into slavery or perhaps even prostitution, by their father. The father did not have enough money to support his three daughters, and at the time, families gained wealth by marrying their daughter’s to men who paid the families of those daughters, with dowries. Nicholas took some of his family’s wealth and provided a dowry for each of the sister’s so that they would not be sold into indentured servitude.
Another story about the kindness of Saint Nicholas, although the story is both unconfirmed or verified, there are reports that he somehow used his money and influence to rescue three men who had been falsely accused and were sentenced to death. Surely a heroic and selfless act rarely seen today.
Some years after Nicholas became famous throughout Europe for his exploits with helping and blessing children and the poor. Saint Nicholas died in December 6, 343. The tradition of gift giving continued, especially in Holland where children where every evening before December 6th, Dutch children would leave their shoes outside their homes and the next morning, find gifts filling their shoes.
The original Saint Nicholas has long since gone, but the spirit of Saint Nicholas lives on among some of us today who reach out to help the poor, especially children not only on Christmas, but every day of the year. Will you also emulate Saint Nicholas on Christmas and throughout 2020? We could definitely use more Saint Nick’s.
did you know that santa claus used to dress in all black, the red suit was started by coca cola advertisment and is about 100 yrs old, santa claus was a mean man that used to punish kids, thats where the story of him putting coal in your stocking if you were bad came from. If you actually research the true history of santa claus, whjy new years was moved to jan 1 a few hundred years ago,the arguments over when jesus’s supposed birthday was in march or september, why dec 25 was chosen,, what was decided at the council of nicea, the nordic gods odin and thor , history of the christmas tree etc. its all very interesting