Christmas is a time of giving. On the first Christmas, God gave his son to the world; and, we are told, wise men brought to the infant gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. About three centuries later, in a part of the world we now call Turkey, a boy marveled at men who could give such fine gifts and not leave their names.

When that boy, Nicholas, grew older, he became a bishop of the Christian church, and he, too, gave gifts without telling who had given them. He gave mostly to children, but he is best known for the dowries he gave to three girls who had none and who could not marry without them.

After Nicholas died, he was called Saint Nicholas. Other people followed his example by giving gifts without telling, and legends grew up around the deeds that he was said to have done. At last some of these legends became the basis for the Santa Claus we know today.

From the dust jacket