Have you always wondered how Christmas and Santa Claus or St. Nick ever came to be linked within the same holiday?
The Dutch began the legend of Saint Nicholas, in fact Santa Claus comes from the pronunciation of Sint Nikolass. As the myth and story goes, he was a bishop in the early part of 300 AD. The color of the cloak of his hierarchy became the fur trimmed red suit that our Jolly Old Man with the white beard now wears outside of each Walmart. The legend has it that he saved three daughters of a pauper from a forced life of prostitution by throwing a bag of gold coins through a window of the man who kidnapped them for his evil purposes, as a dowry for each woman. That act of kindness set them free to return to their father. The story made its way through the country and I’m sure there are many variations on it. On his feast day December sixth, the custom of giving gifts in remembrance of his unselfish act began long after he died. Now you know how a Dutch ritual became a worldwide phenomena. One never knows how things that we do end up in mythological ways as to be metamorphosized in such a worldwide celebration. Random acts of kindness pay huge dividends perhaps not to the originator but the "paying it forward" of such deeds is what we all should strive for not just during the holiday season, but every day.

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Nick Oliva
Author, "Only Moments"
www.onlymomentsbook.com