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Today the Church celebrates the memory of St. Nicholas, the boy who grew up to be Santa Claus!
Nicholas was a very holy man who lived in the Fourth Century. He became the Bishop of Myra, a city in Turkey. One of the most interesting stories about Nicholas is how he helped a poor man get his 3 daughters married.
A poor man with 3 daughters did not have any money for them to get married, and he was too proud to beg. Therefore, St. Nicholas threw money into the chimney. Interestingly, the 3 daughters had washed stockings before they went to bed to dry them. When the money fell down the chimney, it fell into their stockings hanging by the fireplace. Imagine how surprised and happy the daughters were in the morning, finding the money so that they could get married. Even today, many people – especially children – hang a stocking up on Christmas Eve so that Santa will put little gifts in it.
St. Nicholas, patron saint of children, sailors, and pawnbrokers, is sometimes called Santa Claus. In some countries, like Holland, St. Nicholas often comes during the night of December 5 and leaves candy in shoes that children leave outside their bedroom door. In other countries, like the United States, he comes on the night of Christmas Eve and delivers presents to children while they are sleeping.
St. Nicholas’ symbol is 3 gold balls which are often seen on the windows of pawn shops.
