During his lifetime the person who became Saint Nicholas was renowned for his kindness and generosity. A story about his life gives rise to the legend of St. Nicholas giving gifts at Christmas.
Nicholas was the son of wealthy parents who died while he was still young. Nicholas decided to dedicate his life to God. He trained to become a priest and eventually became a bishop.
Where he lived there was a family who were poor. The father was so poor he could not provide a dowry for his three daughters. Each of the daughters in turn found bags of gold which had been dropped down the chimney into their stockings which had been hung to dry. This meant that the girls could marry respectably and their father who had made himself ill with worry did not have to worry any more.
Another story to show his kindness to children is that when he visited an inn owned by a wicked innkeeper who had killed three children and hidden their bodies St Nicholas found their bodies and breathed life back into them.
The custom of hanging stocking by the fire has become an important part of Christmas for many children ever since. In some countries the custom of giving the children gifts is on December 6th, St Nicholas' day. In other places giving gifts to children has become the highlight of Christmas day, with stockings hung on Christmas Eve to be filled by Father Christmas and found Christmas morning: December 25th.
When Dutch settlers arrived in New York (New Amsterdam) they brought the traditions of St. Nicholas with them. The dutch name for him was Sinter Klaas. On December 5th Dutch children were given gifts. In other European places this might be December 6th, it depends on exactly where you are.
In 1822 a poem by Clement C. Moore described St. Nicholas as a jolly, man riding across the sky in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer.
This image inspired an artist and during the period from 1863 to 1866 Thomas Nash drew pictures for the Harper's Weekly; the saintly bishop picture of St. Nicholas became altered to one of a stout gentleman with red clothes and a long white beard. The Dutch name Sinter Klaas became Santa Claus. Following the reformation when saints went out of favour Santa Claus became the person responsible for giving gifts to children all round the world.
A person from very old children's plays was called Father Christmas. He became synonymous with Santa Claus, Pere Noel in France and Kris Kringle in the United States. The Christkind or Christ Child gave gifts in Germany.
