About 1,750 years ago, in the city of Patara on the coast of what is now Turkey, a person named Nicholas was born who became well known for his generosity and his love of children. He traveled to Palestine as a young man, and later became bishop of Myra, a town near his home in Patara. When Emperor Diocletian focused on persecuting Christians, Nicholas was imprisoned and tortured for his faith in Christ. According to tradition, Nicholas was released by Emperor Constantine and later attended the First Council of Nicea in 532 A.D.

Through the years, however, the real Nicholas got lost among legends and traditions. During the Middle Ages, Nicholas became patron saint of charitable fraternities and children, and legends sprouted about his feats of generosity and good will. After the Reformation, the legend of St. Nicholas died out everywhere except in Holland. When the Dutch Reformed Christians immigrated to the United States, they brought the traditions of "Sinterklaas" with them (the Dutch spelled St. Nicholas as Sint Nikolass, which became corrupted to Sinterklaas, and finally, in Anglican, to Santa Claus). In Holland, a social tradition has a "St. Nicholas" ride into Dutch towns every November, dressed in his religious bishop's garp.

Later in Germany, St. Nick would traditionally arrive on his Catholic Feast Day, December 6th. A man dressed as St. Nick would go door to door loaded with a giant sack. To those children who had been good during the year, he gave presents. To those who had been bad, a lump of coal was their lot.

St. Nicholas red outfit was derived from the red colors that Catholic bishops wore. The modern verion of St. Nick originated in a series of Thomas Nast engravings, which appeared in Harper's Weekly between 1863 and 1886.

In 1897, Francis P. Church wrote a now-famous editorial in The Sun newspaper where he told little Virginia O'Hanlon that indeed there was a Santa Claus. Mr. Church said, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist! Thank God he lives and lives forever!"

In a way, Mr. Church was correct in his letter to little Virginia, but not regarding the commercialized Santa Claus who allegedly lives at the North Pole. The original St. Nick, however, the man who loved children and cared for the poor, that man was real. That Nicholas does live, and live forever — for he was a follower of Jesus Christ.

Gifts are given at this season during which we remember that God sent His Son to earth to be born as a little human baby. The Creator of the universe was made subject to all the troubles and difficulties of this life, and to ultimately die for our sins. It is His birth and life we celebrate at this time of year, as the greatest gift of all.

— Author unknown