Who is St. Nicholas?
Jolly old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way . . .
Sorry if I got the song stuck in your head, but it just goes to show we all have heard of St. Nick. Yet who was he really? Here are some fun facts about the man, because yes, he was a real somebody.
Nicholas was a Christian bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey, probably living in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries. He came from wealth, though his parents died when he was young. It is said he gave away much of that inheritance.
One story tied to how he gave away that money is that he came across a poor father could not afford dowries for his three daughters. Nicholas secretly provided bags of gold so they could marry rather than fall into destitution or prostitution.
He is also known as the patron saint of sailors for there are other stories that tell of him calming seas and saving men from drowning. In 1087, sailors from Bari, Italy, took most of his relics from Myra and brought them to Bari, where they remain today.
So all in all, he was a revered sort of fellow, so much so that a holiday was named after him: St. Nicholas Day.
Celebrated on December sixth, this day honors the memory of this good man. In many European countries, children place shoes or stockings out the night before in hopes of finding small gifts, sweets, or coins left by St. Nicholas.
And it is this ver tradition helped shape the modern figure of Santa Claus.
Why am I talking about St. Nicholas in September? Great question! Because in my newest release, Belle’s Christmas Carol, Barrister Rafe Munro (the hunky handsome hero) brings toys to the orphanage on Dec. 6th.
When Ebeneezer Scrooge's former fiancée, Belle Beaumont, unexpectedly inherits a struggling London orphanage, she dreams of giving the children of Haven House the most splendid Christmas they've ever known. But her vision of snowflakes and merriment quickly collides with reality: Fire damage has rendered part of the building unsafe, and the paperwork is years behind.
Barrister Rafe Munro is fighting to clear an innocent man and searching for a child, who may be his relative. His pursuit leads him to Haven House, where Rafe offers to help Belle sort through the chaotic records that might lead to the missing child. Amid the mayhem of running an orphanage full of mischievous children and eccentric staff, will Belle and Rafe find love and the answers they seek this holiday season?
