Page 36 2023 Home For The Holidays Lincoln Daily News November 23, 2022 I know him! Santa? A man of many names, St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santa Claus, everyone thinks they know the story of the rosy cheeked, plump, jolly, cookie loving, chimney aficionado; but do you really? The legend begins sometime around A.D. 280 in Patara, near Myra, what is now Turkey, with a monk named St. Nicholas. Nicholas was born to wealthy, Christian parents who died during an epidemic when he was just a young boy. Admired for his generosity, St. Nicholas has been the subject of many legends. It has been said that he gave his entire inheritance to the poor and the sick. From Bishop of Myra to Gift Giver Nicholas was made Bishop of Myra while he was still a young man. He showed his devotion to God by extraordinary kindness and generosity to those in need. Nicholas was a defender of the church during the Great Persecution in 303, when bibles were burned, and priests were made to denounce Christianity or face death. By around 1200, Nicholas became known as the patron of children and a magical gift giver because of two legends. One account claims that St. Nicholas presented three poverty stricken young women with dowries so that they would not have to resort to the way of the streets. On three separate occasions bags of gold were thrown through the windows of the ladies and landed in stockings or shoes left by the fire to dry. This led to the custom of leaving stockings or putting out shoes for St. Nicholas to fill. Over the years, Continued --
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