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2591 Right now schools all across England and America have closed
for the holidays, so that students and their teachers can enjoy
the festive period of Christmas and the New Year. On Thursday
millions of people around the world will exchange gifts, and feast
with their families. Trees and houses have been decorated with
lights and bows, presents are being bought and wrapped, and
children are counting down the days, waiting for the most exciting
night of the year – the night when Santa comes.
But where exactly does Santa come from? These days he is said
to be living in the North Pole with all his reindeer and elves,
working tirelessly all year to create the toys to deliver to
children all around the world on Christmas Eve. However, in the
3rd century, Santa was actually called Nicholas, and he lived in a
Greek village called Patara, situated in the country that we now
know as Turkey. Throughout his life Nicholas did many kind and
generous things for people who were poorer than him, and for
children who needed help. I will tell you one of the stories of
his kindness now.
This example happened in the town of Myra, where a band of
Pirates came to the town and stole gold and treasures from the
people that lived there. Before they left they also took a child,
a young boy called Basilios. They took Basilios back to the King
of their own country, Crete, and he used the boy as a slave. The
boy spent a year bringing the King his golden cup to drink from.
Meanwhile the boy’s parents felt very sad to have lost their only
son. When Christmas day came, the boy’s mother did not want to
celebrate without her son, and instead stayed quietly at home
praying that he was safe. However, Nicholas himself had travelled
to Crete and found the boy Basilios. He quickly picked the boy up
and carried him away back to his mother. When they arrived and
Nicholas delivered the boy to his mother’s arms, she cried with
happiness.
