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TLC
Family Christmas
'The
True Story of Santa Claus' TLC Family Christmas
'The True Story of Santa Claus'
Santa Claus was not always a jolly old fellow. He did not always have
long white whiskers, and he did not always wear a big red suit.
Long before he lived in the North Pole, and long before his yearly
Christmas visits brought joy to all the children of the world, Santa
Claus was a child himself. He was once just an ordinary baby boy named
Nicholas. The baby boy was just like any other, but his parents hoped
for great things from their only son. They named him Nicholas, which
means "hero of the people."
Even at a young age, Nicholas was a kind and generous boy. He often
helped the people in his village. He shared his meals with those who
had nothing to eat, he was always the first to lend a helping hand, and
he brought joy to young and old alike. There was no better friend to
have than young Nicholas.
At a very young age, Nicholas joined the church. It was his duty to
help people. Nicholas gave special attention to the children of his
village, and they were very fond of Nicholas for his playful and joyful
manner.
Nicholas became well-known throughout the land as a kind and wise young
man. He was soon named a bishop of the church. Because Nicholas was
still so young, people called him the "Boy Bishop."
Nicholas wore a long red robe with a red hat, and he traveled on
horseback. At every village, happy children would spot his bright robe
from a distance and gather in the road to greet him.
In one village, Bishop Nicholas heard the sorrowful tale of a poor old
man and his three young daughters. It seemed the man could no longer
feed his daughters, and he feared he would have to send them away from
him. Nicholas knew he could help this family.
That night, while the whole village slept, Nicholas crept up to the hut
where the three sisters lived. He climbed up to the rooftop to find the
chimney. There Nicholas dropped three bags of gold, one by one, down
through the chimney stack.
Earlier that day, the three sisters had hung their newly washed
stockings by the fireplace to dry. Each small bag of gold that Nicholas
dropped fell into one of the stockings below.
The next morning, the girls were overjoyed to find gold coins in their
stockings. "Father!" they called, running to wake him. "We have
received a magical gift!"
As the story of these three sisters spread from village to village,
other people began to hang their stockings by the fire, hoping to find
a secret gift when they awoke the next morning. Though this was Bishop
Nicholas' most famous gift, it was not his first good deed. And it
would certainly not be his last.
Bishop Nicholas enjoyed surprising people. He began to deliver his
secret gifts of hope and joy only at night, while his friends were
asleep.
For all of his good deeds, Bishop Nicholas was named a saint. He is
honored as the saint who looks after all children. Like other saints,
St. Nicholas was given a name day. One day each year everyone
celebrates the saint's good deeds. St. Nicholas' name day is December 6.
People all over the world began to celebrate St. Nicholas Day. They
hung their stockings by the fire the night before and awoke the next
morning to find them filled with candy, fruit, nuts, or toys. St.
Nicholas had left a magical gift at each home!
Many years ago, people began to celebrate St. Nicholas' good deeds on
Christmas Day, another holiday in December. St. Nicholas has many names
around the world. In some places he is called
"Sint Nikolass" or "Sinterklass." Many people know him today as Santa Claus.
A true hero of the people, St. Nicholas still delivers his magical
gifts each year at Christmastime. The gifts Santa Claus delivers, gifts
of hope and joy, bring the joy of giving to all the children of the
world. -- By Brian Conway
Read
this and other Christmas stories at
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/santa-claus-stories-ga1.htm
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