The "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading the weekly email sent from my church, historical St. James Episcopal in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  For the past several weeks a small paragraph or two has been devoted to a weekly story about a Saint.  A recent email featured St. Nicholas telling how he evolved into Santa Claus.  

Saint Nicholas

The historical Saint Nicholas was born at Patara, Lycia in Asia Minor which is now Turkey.  In his youth he made a pilgrimage to Egypt and the Palestine area.  After his return to his home country, he became Bishop of Myra and was later thrown into prison during the persecution of Diocletian.  He eventually was released after the accession of Constantine and was present at the Council of Nicaea.  Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker.  His reputation evolved among the faithful and his legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of Santa Claus or Sinterklaas.  It is also said that St. Nicholas knew a man with three unmarried daughters and not enough money to provide suitable dowries for them to be married.  In those days this meant the daughters were destined to becoming spinsters.  St. Nicholas walked by the man's house for three consecutive nights; each night, he threw a bag of gold through the window, into the home.  The daughters were able to get married, and all lived happily ever after.  The tradition continues of St. Nicholas leaving gifts through windows, or in colder climates, down a chimney.  Today the feast of Sinterklaas celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas on December 6.  The feast is celebrated in certain provinces of the Netherlands as well as Belgium, Luxembourg and northern France.  The tradition is also celebrated in territories of the former Dutch Empire which includes Indonesia, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and Suriname.  During the Reformation in the 16th and 17th century Europe, many Protestants changed the gift bringer from Sinterklaas to Kris Kringle and the date was changed from December 6 to Christmas Eve.  And then the American short-story writer, Washington Irving, featured a story about the legend of the early Dutch settlers, St. Nicholas, and this brought about the revival of the folklore.  In Irving's 1812 revision of A History Of New York, he inserted a dream sequence featuring St. Nicholas soaring over treetops in a flying wagon.  

The 21st century rendition of St. Nicholas or Santa Claus.

This creation eventually led to a dressed up Santa Claus.  But, as time went on the legend somehow grew to what we know it today as Santa Claus sweeping into town on his sleigh and heading down the chimney to leave gifts for children.  His legendary habit of secret gift-giving and performing miracles has been lost in the commercialization of Christmas and all that goes with it.  Not sure the original Sinterklass would be so jolly with today's red dressed and white bearded representation of him.  But, that's just my opinion.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.