A Moment in History: The Historical St. Nicholas

In our journey through history, let’s dive into a figure who is beloved by many in the West as a legendary figure of gift-giving, merriment, and goodwill. Santa Claus, or St. Nicolas as he is known, is one of the most well-known, and in some cases controversial, characters of the Christmas season. Many, myself included, can recall the day as children when we found out that the jolly old elf who gives gifts to all the good little boys and girls on Christmas Eve is merely a fairy tale. Or was he? While we can all agree that there is no world-traveling gift giver who magically bestows Christmas presents all in one night, there was a real St. Nicolas, and he was a titanic figure of the Christian faith. Let’s discover the Christian hero and servant of Jesus behind the legend Santa Claus – St. Nicholas of Myra.