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Show BESTOWING GIFTS IN SECRET Practice of Putting Out Shoes and Stockings Resulted From Plan of St. Nicholas. Christmas stockings have come down to us from the good St. Nicholas, who was a saiid of the fourth century of the Christian era and was born December De-cember 6, 342. in Lycia, Asia Minor. He was regarded as especially the patron pa-tron saint of children, young girls and sailors. The Christmas stocking custom cus-tom arose as follows : It seems that St. Nicholas, who was the archbishop of Myra, lived in the same town with an impoverished nobleman no-bleman who, because he had no portions por-tions to give his daughters and, indeed, in-deed, no means with which to support them, was about to sell them into a t life of sin. .St. Nicholas, who was accustomed ac-customed to dispense his large fortune for-tune in gifts of charity, resolved to rescue res-cue the young women. As he approached ap-proached their house, wondering how he should proceed, the moon shone out and displayed an open window. Instantly In-stantly St. Nicholas threw a purse of gold in at this window which, falling at the feet of the father of the girls, enabled him to portion his oldest daughter. The second time St. Nicholas Nich-olas visited the house he also was able to throw a purse of gold through an open window, thus providing for the portion of the second daughter. On the third visit the father, watching for his benefactor, cast himself at the feet of the saint and cried: "Oh. St. Nicholas, servant of God, why seek to hide thyself?'' The saint made the father promise not to reveal his benefactions. From this hnfcit of bestowing girts in secret and under the cloak of night arose the practice of putting out shoes or stockings stock-ings for the younger members of the family so that the good saint would be able to 11 them without being spied on. |