FROM The Christmas Book by Francis Weiser (St. Augustine Academy Press, 1952), p. 152:

One of the most beloved of all the Saints long ago was St. Nicholas of Myra. In many parts of Europe children still believe St. Nicholas appears to them on the eve of his Feast (December sixth) laden with gifts. His role is that of a heavenly messenger, coming at the beginning of Advent and admonishing little children to prepare their hearts for properly welcoming the Christ Child at Christmas. He is usually impersonated by a man wearing a long white beard, dressed in the vestments of a bishop, with miter and crozier, a friendly and saintly figure, who comes down from heaven once a year to visit the children, whose patron saint he is. He examines them, questioning them on their Catechism and hearing their prayers. After entreating them to be good boys and girls and to get ready for a devout and holy Christmas, he distributes candy and fruit and departs with a loving farewell, leaving the little ones filled with holy awe and joy.”

In America, his image has, as Fisheaters put it, “been mixed up with a lot of traits and imagery from sources as disparate as the poetry of Clement Moore, pagan Norse mythology, and American advertising.”

A wealth of information about St. Nicholas, both legendary and real, can be found at the St. Nicholas Center:

Was St. Nicholas real?
Yes, he was a real 4th century Greek bishop who lived in Asia Minor, along the Mediterranean coast.

Was St. Nicholas a Turk?
No, Nicholas was Greek, living in a Greek province (Lycia, Asia Minor) that was part of the Roman Empire, centuries before Turks came. The region was Lycia, now in modern-day Turkey.

Was Santa/St. Nicholas a pagan god?
The Germanic god Thor may have influenced Santa’s characteristics somewhat, but Santa primarily developed from the real bishop St. Nicholas.

An ancient English hymn, a Bulgarian song and a popular American tune, all dedicated to the saint, are sung below. From Godes Druth, written by the English hermit St. Godric of Finchale in the 12th century:

Saint Nicholas, God’s beloved,
Build for us a fair bright house;
At the birth, at the bier,
Saint Nicholas, bring us safely there.

 Saint Nicholas, glorious Confessor of Christ, assist us in thy loving kindness.

(Indulgence 100 days)

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