Everyone who celebrates Christmas has memories of years gone by and what the holiday means in his or her own life. For many, the Christmas holiday is the most religiously important event of the year. It is the foundation of the Christian faith, commemorating the birth of Christ and Christians around the world celebrate Christmas in many different ways.

In the United States, families gather for spending time together, to eat the traditional foods of the holiday season, and to give gifts to each other. There are church services, midnight Masses, decorations, cards, and bright lights. Carols are sung and it might even be said that a lot of people who are generally less than charitable have a bit of Christmas cheer emanating from them during this magical time of year.

Where did it all begin?

There was actually a genuine Saint Nicholas! He was born in the AD 300s in what is now Turkey. Nicholas loved children and was always known as a very kind man. So the story goes in our culture, but different parts of the world have their own folklore about the mysterious bearer of gifts. He even has a collection of names including Santa Claus, St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Sinterklas, and Father Christmas.

The early German Pennsylvanians (PA Dutch) had lore about the "Belsnickel" who came around to the farms in the 19th century. He wore furs and masks and came around on Christmas Eve. The word Belsnickel is believed to translate to "Nicholas in his furs." He was not the jolly character we know today, and the newspaper media at the time described him as ominous and menacing. He came to the farmhouse and made noise until he was given entrance to the home. When inside he threw gifts and candy on the floor but then used his switch on the bad children when they tried to gather the goodies. Sometimes the children were allowed to say a poem or sing a song to be allowed to collect their goodies.