HELLO! I AM SAINT NICHOLAS. I was born around the third century in Asia Minor (Now Turkey), around 260 AD, into a wealthy Christian family. They raised me to love God. My birthplace was near the town of Myra, on the southwest coast of modern Turkey. At the time, Christianity was illegal under the Roman empire. I studied to be a priest and spent time in prison for my beliefs. However, after Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity, I was elected Bishop of Myra. I was there at the council of Nicaea in 325 AD, for one of the most important events in church history. Where the deity of Christ was being challenged. I fought for the affirmation of Christ as the deity, …the 3 persons of the Trinity. This vital church doctrine still stands today. In my time, i also preached against immorality, and protected children.   When I was still young, my parents died of an epidemic, leaving me alone. I live the remainder of my life spending my inheritance, not on myself, but on others. This obedience and love for others causes me to spend my life sharing my wealth with others, and particularly in the giving of gifts to the needy. I am a man who loves and gives gifts to children. These acts of Christian charity, which I always make in secret (usually at night,) led others in my village to begin exchanging gifts at Christmas. I give to others expecting nothing in return. This kind of selfless generosity makes my gifts a reflection of the gift God gave us in Jesus.   Saint Nicholas: A real man who fought for real truth against a real enemy of the faith. Christmas trees were God's idea since God created trees. Each tree represents a Christmas cross. Visualize a cross every time you see a Christmas tree. The role of the 3 Wise Men and the Nativity ties directly to the crucifixion. The baby Jesus' swaddling cloth was a foreshadowing of his burial shroud,  The gifts of frankincense and myrrh were gifts. Presents represent Jerusalem, grace, and salvation. Christmas is "doing what God does", as God has given humanity, His many gifts. A STORY OF HIS GIVING The most popular legend about why stockings are hung at Christmas goes something like this: A recently widowed man and father of three girls was having a tough time making ends meet. Even though his daughters were beautiful, he worried that their impoverished status would make it impossible for them to marry. St. Nicholas was wandering through the town where the man lived and heard villagers discussing that family’s plight. He wanted to help but knew the man would refuse any kind of charity directly. Instead, one night, he slid down the chimney of the family’s house and filled the girls’ recently laundered stockings, which happened to be drying by the fire, with gold coins. And then he disappeared. The girls awoke in the morning, overjoyed upon discovering the bounty. Because of St. Nick’s generosity, the daughters were now eligible to wed and their father could rest easy that they wouldn’t fall into lonely despair. Whew! This tale of unknown origin and date is most widely referenced when it comes to the history of the Christmas stocking.
Ho! Ho