by Michael, age 10 from Louisville, asks Saint Nicholas about his real life as a bishop in ancient Myra.
A Letter to Saint Nicholas from Michael in Louisville, Kentucky
Dear Saint Nicholas, my name is Michael and I am ten years old. I live in Louisville, Kentucky, and my teacher said you were a real person, so I have a lot of questions:
- Are you recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church?
- Are you the real person that Santa Claus is based on?
- Do you bring presents to children on your feast day?
- Do you carry a staff, a crozier, like a bishop?
- Do you come on December 6th, not Christmas Eve?
- Do you have helpers, or do you work alone?
- Do you have reindeer?
- Do you only visit Catholic countries, or everyone?
- Do you wear a bishop’s robe and a tall hat instead of a red suit?
- Were you a bishop in Turkey, in the city of Myra, a very long time ago?
- Geography: What sea does the ancient city of Myra sit near, on the southern coast of modern Turkey?
- Social Studies: What specific act of generosity is Saint Nicholas most famously remembered for in legend, that helped shape his reputation as a gift-giver?
Respectfully, Michael
Saint Nicholas Writes Back
Are you recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church?
Yes, Michael, I am officially recognized as a saint, honored not just by the Catholic Church but by Orthodox and other Christian traditions as well.
Are you the real person that Santa Claus is based on?
That’s right, my real historical life inspired countless later legends, which eventually grew into the Santa Claus story you know today.
Do you bring presents to children on your feast day?
Yes, many children, especially in parts of Europe, receive small gifts on my feast day rather than waiting until Christmas.
Do you carry a staff, a crozier, like a bishop?
Yes, a crozier, a curved bishop’s staff, is part of my traditional appearance, a symbol of my role caring for my community long ago.
Do you come on December 6th, not Christmas Eve?
December 6th, my feast day, is traditionally when gifts connected to my story are given, separate from Christmas Eve itself.
Do you have helpers, or do you work alone?
In the oldest stories, I mostly worked alone, quietly performing acts of kindness rather than running a big workshop operation.
Do you have reindeer?
No reindeer in my original story. Later Santa Claus traditions added flying reindeer, but my own historical tale focuses more on quiet generosity than travel.
Do you only visit Catholic countries, or everyone?
My story is honored across many different Christian traditions, not just Catholic ones, and my legend has influenced gift giving customs worldwide, well beyond any single country or church.
Do you wear a bishop’s robe and a tall hat instead of a red suit?
Yes, a bishop’s robe and a tall pointed hat called a mitre are part of my traditional appearance, quite different from a red suit.
Were you a bishop in Turkey, in the city of Myra, a very long time ago?
Yes, I served as a bishop in the ancient city of Myra, located in what is now southern Turkey, sometime in the 3rd and 4th centuries.
Geography: What sea does the ancient city of Myra sit near, on the southern coast of modern Turkey?
Myra sits near the Mediterranean Sea, along the southern coast of modern Turkey, a region with a long, sunny coastline quite different from the snowy landscapes many people now imagine for Santa Claus.
Social Studies: What specific act of generosity is Saint Nicholas most famously remembered for in legend, that helped shape his reputation as a gift-giver?
One of my most famous legends tells of a poor family with three daughters who could not afford proper dowries. According to the story, I secretly tossed bags of gold coins through their window at night so the family would not fall into hardship, asking for nothing in return. That quiet, secret generosity became the seed of the whole gift giving tradition that grew into Santa Claus centuries later.
