The real Saint Nicholas lived in the country of Greece, just a couple hundred years after the birth of Christ. This day is in honor of Saint Nicholas and his life. Saint Nicholas became a priest, and later, a Bishop of the early Catholic Church. True to the Christian concept of giving up belongings and following Christ, St. Nicholas gave up all of his belongings. He was well known for giving to needy people, especially children. There are many stories and tales of him helping out children in need.
The practice of hanging up stockings originated with Saint Nicholas. As the ancient legend goes, Saint Nicholas was known to throw small bags of gold coins into the open windows of poor homes. After one bag of gold fell into the stocking of a child, news got around. Children soon began hanging their stocking by their chimneys "in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there".
Surprisingly, St. Nicholas is considered the patron saint of pawnbrokers. The symbol of three gold balls at most pawn brokers’ shops commemorate the time Saint Nicholas saved three young girls from being sold into slavery by loaning them each a bag of gold so they could pay off their family’s debts and get married.
There are records of Saint Nicholas intervening to save a group of men falsely condemned to be executed by a corrupt magistrate who accepted a bribe. Fearlessly, Saint Nicholas walked up to the executioner grabbed the sword from his hand, and stared down the magistrate and his men, as he went about freeing the men from their bonds.