About The Holiday Season

From, The Book of Saints by Lesley Whiteside, we get a little insight on the reasoning behind this Santa character:

"All we know for certain about Nicholas is that he was a fourth-century bishop of Myra in Turkey, yet he became one of the most popular of the medieval saints. Much better known is the figure derived from him, 'Santa Claus!' A vast body of legend surrounded Nicholas, in the best known of which he restored to life three children who had been pickled in brine. For this reason he became the patron saint of children, but he also had a particular association with sailors and merchants. His cult was so strong that countless churches were dedicated to him and he became the patron of many countries, including Russia..."