Seven Things You May Not Know About Santa Claus

The Italians have an old saying about legends: If it isn't true, it should be! This brings us to St. Nicholas, aka Santa Claus, whose feast day is traditionally celebrated on Dec. 6. In many places, children leave out their shoes tonight in the hope of finding chocolate coins in them tomorrow morning. Who doesn't like chocolate, and who doesn't like Santa Claus, the bringer of chocolate, oranges, money, and other gifts on his feast and later?

Sinterklaas is the Dutch name, which was eventually Anglicized into Santa Claus. St. Nicholas was the patron saint of New Amsterdam, and New York would play a key role in spreading the word about its first patron saint. In fact, if you travel to Trinity Cemetery in Audubon Heights, near 155th St. in Manhattan, you will find the grave of city native Clement Moore. His "A Visit from St. Nicholas," better known as "The Night Before Christmas," spread the local tradition across the country. In the 20th Century, Coke advertisements portraying the jolly old man in red did much to brand the popular image of the saint.

Here are some facts and legends you might not know about St. Nicholas.

1. Did St. Nick punch the heretic Arias at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD?

This probably falls under legend, although it makes for a great meme and Christmas card! Instead of singing about mommy kissing Santa, you could sing, "I saw Santa punching Arias." St. Nick opposed Arias, who denied the divinity of Christ. It was the first great heresy. But historians don't show Nicholas's name on the list of those called to the council to address the issue that gave us the Nicene Creed. This is a slightly more theological version of what many people may know popularly as the Apostles Creed. The first written reference to St. Nick "boxing the ears" or slapping Arias for denigrating Christ and Mary, the mother of God, comes in the 19th Century. But oral tradition has a pretty strong track record of being right, so it can't be ruled out.

2. Are The Three Golden Balls of the Pawn Brokers based on St. Nick?

This appears to be true. St. Nick knew the purpose of money was to be used for good. In one famous story, he secretly dropped three bags of gold into a poor man's home so he would have the marriage dowry for his three daughters, making St. Nick a patron saint of the unmarried. One of the evils of his day was poor families selling their daughters into prostitution if they could not afford to have them married. St. Nick's secret acts of charity were a practical solution to a difficult problem. Early bankers and pawn brokers in Italy turned the bags of gold into balls of gold, and the tradition continues.

3. Was St. Nick in jail?

Yes. Born in Asia Minor, he traveled to Palestine and Egypt as a young man. Upon his return, he was named bishop of Myra. During the persecution of the Roman emperor Diocletian, he was imprisoned and tortured for his faith. With the ascension of Emperor Constantine, Nicholas was set free and continued to spread the faith as his reputation for charity and holiness spread. His time in jail has made him a patron of those falsely accused.

4. Did St. Nick solve a murder?

The legend is that a butcher chopped up three children and hid their bodies in a barrel of brine. After doing his own CSI: Myra investigation, St. Nick discovered the concealed bodies. Unlike our modern gumshoes, St. Nick was not only able to bring justice to bear, but he is also said to have restored the children to life. Make a Hallmark Mystery movie out of that! Is it any wonder St. Nick is considered the patron saint of children?

5. Were St. Nick's bones stolen?

Absolutely. In fact, he is known under two titles: St. Nicholas of Myra in present-day Turkey and St. Nicholas of Bari in present-day Italy. When the Muslims conquered Myra in 1087, Italian sailors crossed the Adriatic, cracked open his sarcophagus, and sailed back to Italy with half of St. Nick's bones. They are now in the Basilica di San Nicola. And not to be outdone, in the First Crusade, Venetian sailors landed in Myra and made off with much of the other half of St. Nick's remains. A portion of the relics still remain today in the Orthodox Church in Demre, Turkey. In one of those ironies of fate, St. Nick is the patron saint of — sailors.

6. Were relics of St. Nicholas destroyed on 9/11?

Sadly yes. The Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas refused to sell its land as the World Trade Center was built looming over it. It housed some of the bone from St. Nicholas in a reliquary. This was destroyed in the blast. So now, St. Nick's ashes are intermingled with those of the other thousands of dead in the city he so lovingly watches over. Happily, 20 years later, the church, now near the 9/11 Memorial, has itself risen from the ashes. Father Alexander Karloutsos told CBS at the time, "We're Americans, so we wanted to take this church — which was a small, little church — and make it a shrine for all the world to be able to find comfort in…The old St. Nicholas, people would come all the time, no matter what their faiths were. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindus… they found reflection and meditation there. This is going to be a witness to the spirit of St. Nicholas, the spirit of Santa Claus. St. Nicholas is the one that embraces and loves and affirms humanity and life itself."

7. Can St. Nick help with money issues?

Anyone who spends time fundraising for charity will answer with a resounding yes! There is a traditional Latin prayer, "Sancte Nicholae, curam domus age!" — "St. Nicholas, take care of this house!" — said for financial needs. It seems even in this modern age, the intercessory prayers of St. Nick have not lost their touch when it comes to dropping gold coins down the chimney for those in need and for needy causes. And this is not just at Christmas! Remember the old song, "Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you if you are young at heart." Well, who isn't young at heart at Christmas? And St. Nick is no fairy tale. If you are in need, why delay in asking for a helping hand from such a friend? Is it any wonder that New York is the financial capital of the United States, where money is raised to create millions of jobs for hardworking people across the country?

So, enjoy your chocolate coins tomorrow, and maybe even some real ones, courtesy of that friend of good cheer, Santa Claus.