The Real Story of St. Nicholas

by Becky Melendez

History

St. Nicholas was a Godly man with a reputation for giving that caused him to be an example of what giving is all about. Stories of his life are full of Christian beliefs and values that are the real background for today’s mythical Santa Claus.  Much of what Nicholas was, and what Santa Claus has become today is distorted. The real story of Christmas is the story of Jesus, God’s precious gift to us. Our Heavenly Father is the real Gift-Giver.  Nicholas grew up in a Christian home.  He and his wealthy parents lived in Turkey in the third century.  Nicholas’ parents had prayed and asked God for a child, then his parents died when he was in his teens. Ordained as a young teenager by his uncle, Nicholas entered the priesthood at age 19. Many accounts have been written about the life of Nicholas.  It was said that he would spend all night studying God’s Word to bring it to the people.  He was known for helping the poor, for praying, and fasting. Many miracles were brought about through his prayers.  It was reported that he raised twin brothers from the dead.  He was well known for his goodness to others.

One particular story of Nicholas’ goodness is the reason many pictures show him with three golden spheres.  These represent three bags of gold that he gave to a poor man so his three daughters could be married. The man was so poor that his daughters had no dowries, and he was so desperate he was planning to sell them as bondservants. To keep that from happening, Nicholas threw a bag of gold pieces through the man’s window in the night so no one would know who had done it.  He wanted God to get the credit for it.  Because of this, the eldest daughter had a dowry.  She could now be married.  Not long after, Nicholas did the same thing for the second daughter. When he did it for the third daughter, the father caught him. Nicholas made the father swear that he would never reveal who was responsible for those gifts as long as Nicholas was alive.

As the bishop of the city of Myra Nicholas led people through one of the worst tribulations in history. In 303 AD Rome began the persecution of all Christians.  Nicholas was one of thousands who survived years of torture and prison because he would not denounce Christ.  Thousands more did not survive. When Constantine became Emperor of Rome, Nicholas was freed from prison and served the people of Myra for another 30 years.

Nicholas died in 343 AD. He became a very popular figure in the centuries following his death.  In Russia he was called Nikolai (wonder worker). In 1087, the remains of St. Nicholas’ grave were transported from Turkey to Italy, where a basilica was built in his honor. Soon after, his popularity spread throughout Italy and across Western Europe.  December 6, the day of his death, became St. Nicholas Day on the Roman Catholic calendar, and the custom of gift-giving on December 6 began in France and spread across all of Europe. With the Protestant Reformation of the 1500’s, the worshipping of the saints was denounced, and St. Nicholas Day was no longer observed in England. In Holland and Belgium, the traditional day of December 6 was still celebrated. There, Sinter Klaas rode through the streets on a white horse, rewarding good children with treats and toys and giving rods or switches to bad children. The American Santa Claus came from a mixture of Old World customs. Dutch Americans eventually adopted December 25 as their day of celebration. The story of the real St. Nicholas is a beautiful picture of the giving that Christmas is really about.

The Greatest Gift

The greatest gift of all is the gift of Jesus Christ to us from God the Father.  Jesus is our hope, redemption and victory.  He is our advocate with the Father, our blood-covenant Friend, Who will never leave nor forsake us. Jesus is the meaning of Christmas. “Christ mass” means “anointing celebration”. It’s the celebration of “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. Acts 10:38  

What About Celebrating CHRISTmas?

For years, Christians have debated about the right way and time to celebrate CHRISTmas.  Many are concerned because the dates and some of the traditions in current use may have been influenced by pagan religions. But we need to remember that God is the One Who thought up holidays.

He instructed Israel to have feasts and celebrations in the Old Testament. Satan is the one who corrupts whatever God originally created or planned. Colossians 3:17 says Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. We can make Jesus the center of any holiday. Colossians 2:16-17 says we are not to judge how anyone chooses to celebrate a holiday. As long as we are celebrating the One Who is the real reason for CHRISTmas we are not condemned whether we have a CHRISTmas tree or a Santa decoration or not. Just remember CHRIST is the reason for CHRISTmas.