Saint Nick: From Saint to Santa Claus

By Abigail Salamone

When you think about Christmas what is the first thing that you think of? To most people, it is Santa Claus. But how much do you really know about the meaning and figure behind him? Saint Nicholas was born in the third century in the village of Patara, which is now located in the southern east coast of Turkey. His parents raised Nicholas to be a devout Christian and to always follow the teachings and way of Jesus. They both, unfortunately, died when Nicholas was still young, but this didn’t stop him from following God’s word. He began to follow and obey the words of Jesus to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor.” The stories of the miracles he performed and the work he did for the poor has spread all across the world. One of the most famous stories about St. Nicholas is the tale of three poor sisters. It is about a father who didn’t have enough to pay his bills and was going to have to sell his daughters. St. Nicholas came to their house three times and each time he left a bag of money inside their house. The man then used this money so each of his daughters could get married and on St. Nicholas’ third and final visit the father saw him and thanked him for his kind actions. Throughout his life, he has done many good deeds and has been a key figure in helping the poor. No one really knows when St. Nicholas died but his feast day is on December 6th. To this day, he is known as the protector of children and sailors. Saint Nicholas, to many children, became what is now called Santa Claus and, instead of giving gifts to children on his feast day, December 6th, he became a part of the Christmas holiday.

Works Cited

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “St. Nicholas.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 14 Mar. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Nicholas.

Catholic Online. “St. Nicholas - Saints & Angels.” Catholic Online, Catholic Online, www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=371.

JPC-DESIGN, whychristmas?com /. “St. Nicholas, Santa Claus & Father Christmas on Whychristmas?Com.” Christmas Around the World -- Whychristmas?Com, www.whychristmas.com/customs/fatherchristmas.shtml.