December 6th: St Nicholas's day

The historical St Nicholas had a reputation for giving gifts, often putting coins in shoes people left out for him. Shortenings and translations of "St Nicholas" evolved into "Santa Claus", so he is the model for the character of Father Christmas. The historical St Nicholas was a Bishop in Myra, part of modern day Turkey (appropriately!). Things you might not know:

1. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of Greece, the Hellenic Navy, sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, pawnbrokers, students and the Varangian Guard of the Byzantine emperors, who protected his relics in Bari.
2. The most famous story about him, and probably the one that identified him with Santa Claus, was his anonymous gifts of Gold for a poor man with three daughters. Their father couldn't afford dowries for them, so their likely fate was having to go into prostitution. The saintly bishop couldn't allow that to happen, of course, but to save the family the humiliation of accepting charity, he delivered the gifts anonymously in the dead of night. There are numerous versions of the story, and in one, the gold would arrive the night before each daughter came of age. By the third time, their father had noticed a pattern and planned to confront the benefactor so he could thank him. Saint Nicholas got wind of the plan, and to avoid being caught, threw the gold down the chimney instead of through the window, where it conveniently landed in a stocking the girl had hung over the fire to dry.
3. In another legend, an evil butcher lured three children into his house so he could kill them and turn them into meat pies. St Nicholas miraculously knew about the crime, and prayed over the barrels the bodies were being stored in, and brought the children back to life. This is how he became the patron saint of children.
4. Another of his miracles involved a ship loaded with wheat bound for Constantinople which docked in Myra on route. There was a famine at the time, and Nicholas pleaded with the sailors to part with some of their cargo to help the hungry. They weren't keen, because the Emperor was expecting a full shipload, but the bishop persuaded them. Then when they arrived in Constantinople, expecting to have to account for the two years supply of wheat they had given away, they found it had miraculously been restored and they had as much wheat as before.
5. St. Nicholas is unusual in that most of his bones have been preserved in one spot: his grave crypt in Bari.
6. Scientific studies of photographs and measurements of the bones of St Nicholas showed that he was quite short, just five feet tall, and had a broken nose.
7. In Greek folklore, Nicholas was seen as "The Lord of the Sea", a kind of Christianised version of Poseidon.
8. Medieval celebrations of his feast day often included the election of a "boy bishop" in which children would be selected to play the roles of priests and bishops for the day and order the adults about.
9. Nuns of the time would continue the tradition of gift giving on this night by leaving baskets of food and clothing anonymously on the doorsteps of the poor.
10. Harbour towns in particular would celebrate the day, and sailors and ex-sailors would come from far and wide to honour their patron saint. Naturally traders saw this influx as a business opportunity and so Saint Nicholas fairs sprang up, selling trinkets and items which were not always easy to get. The sailors would do their Christmas shopping at the fairs, and although most gifts were saved up for Christmas, some smaller gifts were given to the children immediately, and they'd be told the presents had come from St Nicholas.

My Christmas Novella!

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

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