December 7, 2009

Last night was the feast day for Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children, sailors, fishermen, merchants, the falsely accused, repentant thieves, pharmacists, archers, pawnbrokers. Wow, that's quite a few people to have to watch over. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra in the 300's and was widely known for his generosity to the poor, often in the form of anonymous, surprise gifts. He is considered by many to be the basis for the figure Santa Claus (old St. Nick).