The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus: The True Life and Trials of Nicholas of Myra by Adam English

Summary: The real story of Santa Claus, and why he became a saint. Religious historian Adam English looks beyond the legends and lore of our red-suit-wearing, toy-making, Coke-drinking Santa Claus to tell the story of the real Saint Nicholas – a fourth-century bishop in modern-day Turkey. With prose as enjoyable as it is informative, he shows why the life—and death—of Nicholas of Myra so radically influenced the formation of Western history and Christian thought, and did so in ways many have never realized. Baylor University Press, $24.95, November 2012, ISBN #: 9781602586345