Today, December 6, is Saint Nicholas Day. Saint Nick, as he’s come to be known, lived from 270-343 in modern-day Turkey while it was part of the Roman Empire. According to tradition, Nicholas was an only child whose parents died in an epidemic, leaving him wealthy as a young man. Determined to live a life of simplicity as a priest, Nicholas began distributing the wealth to those in need.

Famously, Nicholas learned of a family with three daughters that had been plunged from wealth into poverty. Unable to provide dowries for his daughters, the father feared that their only possible way to to support themselves was sex work. Nicholas learned of their plight, and, not wanting to embarrass the family with a public display of charity, tossed a bag of gold through the window, providing a dowry for the eldest daughter. After her wedding, Nicholas repeated the generous gift for the second daughter. The father, now astonished by the mystery gold, stayed up for two nights until he caught Nicholas in the act of delivering gold for the third daughter. 

Over the centuries, this story grew into the tradition of parents putting coins, sometimes made of chocolate, in their children’s shoes or stockings on St. Nicholas Day. In the 1500s, European Christians shifted gift-giving away from St. Nicholas Day to Christmas Day, ending up at the Santa Claus traditions we recognize today.

In my house, we have a children’s book about the life of St. Nicholas that my kids like to read. It tells the story above along with stories about Nicholas rescuing innocent men from execution, becoming a bishop, and calming a storm that threatened to destroy the ship he sailed on. One day recently, my son asked me, “Mom, why did we change St. Nicholas into a pretend Santa Claus? Why make a big, made-up person who gives gifts to everyone instead of keeping the real story?”

I’ve been pondering this question ever since. Why did we turn St. Nicholas from a generous young man who gave to the poor from his own wealth into a jolly giver of gifts to all children the world around? 

It makes a lot of sense to me, actually. Of course we grew St. Nicholas from the man into Santa Claus the legend, because we know just how desperately the world needs to be filled with love. We need love affecting our reality, making a larger-than-life Santa who can fill our world with cheer and hope. For centuries, the idea of a generous gift-giver who transforms our lives, even for just a moment, has drawn people to St. Nicholas.

To use the words from the carol “Here Comes Santa Claus,”

Here comes Santa Claus

Here comes Santa Claus

Right down Santa Claus Lane

He doesn't care if you're rich or poor

He loves you just the same

Santa Claus knows we're all God's children

That makes everything right

So fill your hearts with Christmas cheer

'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight