Wondering About Santa

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He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook, when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.
Clement C. Moore

"No Santa Claus! Thank God, he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood." - Francis P. Church

"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring-not even a mouse:
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. - Clement C. Moore

If Santa Claus exists, he's going to be too good to punish me, even if I am naughty. And if he doesn't exist, I don't have to worry, right? - Wrong, but I don't know where. - Charles M. Schulz, "Peanuts"

"There are three stages of a man's life: He believes in Santa Claus, he doesn't believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus."
- Author Unknown

I found another story about St. Nicholas which would have given credence to the Patron Saint of Children story.

Apparently, there was a poor family who had little money and no money for dowries for their three daughters. The father was reluctantly considering the sale of the daughters into slavery or prostitution (strange times I'm sure) but once again it was St. Nicholas to the rescue. He heard to the family's plight and anonymously tossed a bag of gold down the chimney to save the family.

According to legend, St. Nicholas paid the dowry for each of the girls and the story was not made public until after his death.

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There is very little known about the real St. Nicholas. All I could dig up was the fact that it is thought that he was born somewhere around A.D. 280 in Asia Minor and became a Turkish bishop. Records show that he died around 343 A.D.

*He must have made quite an impression because legends began popping up shortly after his death.

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We know that St. Nicholas became the patron saint of children having delivered a young slave boy back to his parents care, but there is another story about bringing a sailor back to life who had fallen from the ships rigging. St. Nicholas became well known for his powers of healing which lead to the "adoption" of St. Nicholas as their patron saint as well.

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Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home! ~Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, 1836