A long time ago.... There once was a kind and gentle man, who lived peacefull with his beautiful Wife.
This man, Nickolas was his name and his Wife were very good people who praised and feared God, with one thing missing. You see Nickolas and his Wife loved children so very much, but, unfortunately, they could not have any of thier own.

Nickolas, who was quite a craftsman with wood, would carve out all kinds of toys for all the children in the nieghborhood.  He so enjoyed seeing the smiles and joy on thier faces, as they recieved these gifts from him,
wanting nothing back in return, just the satisfaction of a child's happiness and excitement.

Momma would gather strips of cloth and buttons and sew them all together to make dolls for all the little girls in town.  She would help Nikolas paint the wooden toys, made from food coloring, oil and flour.

They were poor and did not have very much in thier life, but seeing those children smile was all they wanted or needed.  Momma was always baking extra for the rest of the nieghbors, from what little they had themselves.
They wanted to make sure others and thier families were well taken care of and did not go hungry.

One day, it was said that a newborn king, in the the town of Bethleham was born, a King at that. Nickolas, as he slept, had a vision, that he was to go see this newborn and praise him and so he did. He set off for Bethlehem, until he arrived at the manger, where Jesus lay. He knelt down and bowed his head to pray.

Just then, a bright light shown on him and a voice came to him and said "Nickolas, I am your God and you shall listen!"  Nickolas, although a little frightened, answered and listened to the voice of God.

And God said.... "You have been a good servant of me and have seved me well Nickolas, so I shall give you back the gift of children."

Nickolas was confused and he said "but Almighty God, as you know, I and my Wife are barren, we cannot have children."

God told Nickolas....  "You shall inherate all the children of the world. As a celabration of this day,  the day of my only Son's blessed birth, you shall go forth and deliver to all the children of the world."  And time, for you, shall stand still until the last toy is delived and the first spark of a new day is dawned." 

"And red and white shall be your cloak!" Nickolas still listened.

"Red shall be worn, as a sign of your goodness to others, in your heart and also for the blood that my Son shall someday shed for you."

"The white is for purity of the lamb, your Lord and of this day, so that everyone will be reminded of the miracle that lays here before you now.

"I will cleanse the Earth with new-fallen snow and give you many stars to help light your way."

"The green of every tree shall be decorated with them, as a sign that you have been given the light of my own flesh this night."  And you Nickolas will become known to all on this twenty-fifth day of December as "Santa Clause."  "Go now and tell your Wife of the gift of which you have been given." And, so he did!

'Jolly Old Saint Nick' by Artist:  Richard De Wolfe

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