OT: Old St. Nick is Real

[Guest guest]

Hi y'all,

 

Believing in St. Nick is a good alternative to disappointment ... I'm

thinking that getting underwear for Christmas is better than nothing too

if one considers the price of the danged stuff now.

 

But ol' St. Nicholas is real. He was born and raised on the Southern

Mediterranean Coast of what is now the Republic of Turkey.

 

During his youth, he was a rich man who used to sneak around and drop

little bags of coins in the windows of poor folks so they could afford a

dowry for their daughters - the alternative to not having a dowry wasn't

good back in those days.

 

It's recorded that he had already made two trips to one house that had

three daughters, when the father decided this unknown benefactor would

most likely come again to help the third one - so the father and the

extended family started watching out and they caught him in the act.

 

This benevolent fellow became an immediate hero in the town and the

priest praised him, etc., and the word eventually got to Rome where the

powers there somehow got him involved in the priesthood.

 

He eventually became the Bishop of Myra, the town/district in which he

was born. After his death, he was sainted.

 

Today, his church in Myra is a museum and visited by folks from around

the world .. and it was overflowing with Christians during the 2000-2001

Holiday Season as it was a big one for Faith Tourism to Turkey. There

are many 100s of registered religious sites here, to include the Seven

Churches of the Revelation, Ephesus, the last home of the Virgin Mary

(in Ephesus), Abraham's home and Antioch where the world's first

Christian Church was founded in a cave by St. Peter. High inflation

(meaning low cost to tourists) coupled with the 2,000th anniversary of

the birth of Christ brought millions of tourists to Turkey that year.

 

Back to St. Nick .. The bronze statue outside St. Nicholas church is the

exact likeness of how we picture the Jolly Old Elf - a fat smiling

fellow with puffy cheeks in a two piece uniform (common then) and a

stocking cap. There are two poor children hanging onto his legs whilst

he has a bag filled with unknown goodies slung over his back.

 

I've been there a few times and I reckon I'll mosey back down that way

again this Christmas season.

 

Might be a bit early .. but best wishes for a Merry Christmas to you

all. I hope the ol' fat fairy smiles on you.

 

Y'all keep smiling, Butch :-) http://www.AV-AT.com