Defending Santa

Santa Claus was indeed a real person.

While researchers report little detail in relation to where he came from or what exactly he did with his life they are secure in their knowledge that he did exist and that he was a powerful influence for good in many lands.

Born as Nicholas nearly 1700 years ago in Turkey he lived an obscure life until he pursued a career in the ministry. Over time, he became the Archbishop of Myra, a town now known as Demre.

And that is about all the real detail of his life that is known for certain.

But there are stories – lots of stories about the good Bishop of Myra. That he was a good man there can be no doubt. In those days the Bishop was a man with profound authority in all aspects of both temporal and spiritual life. That he bore great influence cannot be denied. For those in scattered lands to know and revere him for generations is a testament of his considerable power to touch lives.

The telling of his exploits has transcended time, even if they have been embellished from one culture to another. A trusted man in his day by the nature of his calling, he is even in this day in those ancient lands credited for deeds of goodwill.

One such deed while living became a legend that has survived more than a thousand years after his passing. In his town where he was Bishop, Nicholas once gave an anonymous gift to a man with three daughters. The family was destitute of means and the custom of the time was that each daughter would need to be provided with a dowry in order to marry. Because they were poor, the father of the three daughters was contemplating selling his children into slavery.

Nicholas heard of their plight and on a dark night soon after the eldest daughter came to marrying age, he tossed a small bag of gold through an open window (and some say he tossed it down the chimney), sparing her a life of misery.

As the second daughter came of age he repeated the deed.

As the third daughter came of age the father waited up nights to catch the gift-giver in order to express his gratitude. And catch Nicholas in the act of goodwill the man did. Then it became widely known that the Bishop of Myra was the giver of the gift.

His reputation as Bishop survived his mortal time on earth. In time, thousands of churches across Europe came to be named after him — 45 in the ancient city of Rome alone were dedicated to him. His own name was popular in passing on to rising generations of the faithful. In several languages and in several cultures we find derivatives honoring the memory of the Bishop of Myra in numerous surnames: Nichols, Nicholson, Collins, Colson, Klassen, Claesz, Klasesz, Nielsen, Nijssen and others.

His popularity as a saint during the Middle Ages was only surpassed by the Virgin Mary. Whether the stories about him are true or not can be argued by the historians. Yet they all agree, St. Nicholas, the famed Archbishop of Myra, was a real person and did exist.