The Saint Nicholas Ornament, Curtis Boehringer

This is the first in a series of Santas from the Olde World. Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, is the gentleman that got all of this started. He is the Patron Saint and Protector of Children. In popularity he ranks third behind Jesus and The Virgin Mary. More churches and cathedrals all over the world are named after him.

Saint Nicholas' lived in A.D. 300, Turkey. He was born into great wealth and was raised to share his good fortunes. Case in point: When in his early twenties, he heard that three daughters were going to be sold as slaves because they had no dowries, Nicholas, in the middle of the night, crept over to their house and pushed gold coins through a window to save them from their fate. Some of the coins fell into their stockings that were hanging by the fireplace near the window. Thus, starting the custom of hanging our stockings "by the chimney with care in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there".

Through this series of leaflets, we will explore the folklore and history of these Santas, in word and design.