Today is the Real Feast Day of Good Ol’ Saint Nick

St. Nicholas Feastday is December 6th. He is the patron of Bakers and Pawnbrokers Who’d a thunk it?

Far from being fat and jolly, it is believed that from his earliest days Nicholas would take nourishment only once on Wednesdays and Fridays, and that in the evening according to the canons.

His parents died when he was a young man, leaving him well off and he determined to devote his inheritance to works of charity. An opportunity soon arose. A citizen of Patara had lost all his money, and had moreover to support three daughters who could not find husbands because of their poverty; so the wretched man was going to give them over to prostitution. This came to the ears of Nicholas, who thereupon took a bag of gold and, under cover of darkness threw it in at the open window of the man’s house. Here was a dowry for the eldest girl and she was soon duly married. At intervals Nicholas did the same for the second and third; at the last time the father was on the watch, recognized his benefactor and overwhelmed him with his gratitude.

Nowhere does anyone mention a red suit or reindeer. I guess he got them later.