“St. Nicholas of Bari, the bishop of Myra in the fourth century, is the real Santa Claus. Exactly how a kindly cleric from present-day Turkey got associated with an overgrown, red-suited elf from the North Pole is hard to figure.
The real Santa Claus was well known for his kindness and generosity, especially to the poor. One legend says that he tossed bags of gold in the open window of a poor man’s house to help with his daughter’s dowries. The gold is supposed to have landed in stockings dangling on the corners of the beds, which would account for the custom of hanging stockings for Santa Claus to fill. At any rate, St. Nicholas was linked with gift giving, and, in many countries, children still put out their shoes on his feast day to be filled with presents.
Santa Claus has become a symbol for the Christmas holidays, but Santa is a commercial contrivance. St. Nicholas, the real Santa, is just that–real. As we move into the holiday season with its excitement and bustle, let us take a few minutes to remember that love and joy won’t magically appear unless, like the real Santa, we make them happen.
How can I be a St. Nicholas to someone needy this Christmas season?”
January 6 entry of 365 Saints: Your Daily Guide to the Wisdom and Wonder of their Lives, ed. by Woodeene Koenig-Bricker (New York: Harper San Francisco, 1995).