Copyright, 1909, by
WILLIAM S. WALSH
New York
Published October, 1909
CONTENTS
| CHAPTER | PAGE | |
| I. | Who is Santa Klaus | [ 13] |
| II. | Strange Adventures of the Saint’s Body | [ 39] |
| III. | Christ-kinkle and Christ-kindlein | [ 50] |
| IV. | The Evolution of Christmas | [ 58] |
| V. | Silenus, Saturn, Thor | [ 69] |
| VI. | A Terrible Christmas in Old France | [ 80] |
| VII. | The Christmas Tree in Legend | [ 90] |
| VIII. | The Christmas Tree in History | [ 99] |
| IX. | The Christmas Tree in Europe | [ 109] |
| X. | The Christmas Tree in England and America | [ 118] |
| XI. | The Story of the Three Kings | [ 124] |
| XII. | Some Twelfth Night Customs | [ 151] |
| XIII. | St. Nicholas in England | [ 158] |
| XIV. | Father Christmas and His Family | [ 165] |
| XV. | Pantomime in the Past and Present | [ 185] |
| XVI. | Saint Nicholas in Europe | [ 194] |
| XVII. | Saint Nicholas in America | [ 214] |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
| PAGE | |
| Merry Christmas to all! | [ Frontispiece] |
| St. Nicholas as the patron saint of children | [ 15] |
| The Consecration of St. Nicholas | [ 19] |
| St. Nicholas and the three maidens | [ 23] |
| St. Nicholas resuscitating the schoolboys | [ 27] |
| Bishop Nicholas | [ 31] |
| St. Nicholas of Bari | [ 35] |
| Heads of the Christ-child | [ 41] |
| The Christ-child surrounded by angels | [ 47] |
| “Suffer little children to come unto me” | [ 51] |
| Christ the giver | [ 55] |
| Christmas presents | [ 59] |
| Saturn, the God of Time | [ 63] |
| Silenus and Fauns | [ 71] |
| Santa Claus and his young friends | [ 73] |
| Carrying home the Christmas dinner | [ 77] |
| The Feast of the Passover | [ 81] |
| The Adoration of the Lamb | [ 87] |
| Luther and the Christmas tree | [ 101] |
| Christmas tree of the English royal family | [ 111] |
| On the way to Bethlehem | [ 125] |
| The Three Kings visit Herod | [ 129] |
| The Journey of the Three Kings | [ 133] |
| The Arrival of the Three Kings | [ 137] |
| The Adoration of the Magi (1) | [ 141] |
| The Adoration of the Magi (2) | [ 145] |
| The Adoration of the Three Kings | [ 149] |
| The Child’s Twelfth Night Dream | [ 153] |
| Father Christmas | [ 167] |
| Father Christmas (another conception) | [ 171] |
| The Old and the New Christmas | [ 175] |
| Bringing in Old Christmas | [ 179] |
| The Christmas Waits | [ 183] |
| Jongleurs announcing the birth of our Lord | [ 187] |
| Going to the Pantomime | [ 191] |
| Mute admiration | [ 195] |
| Santa Klaus comes to grief on an automobile | [ 199] |
| “No, I don’t believe in you any more” | [ 203] |
| Santa Klaus | [ 207] |
| Santa Klaus up in a balloon | [ 211] |
| New Year’s gifts in a French workingman’s family | [ 215] |
| French children gazing up the chimney for gifts | [ 219] |
| Silenus and Bacchus | [ 223] |
| The bambino | [ 225] |
| Santa Klaus on New Year’s eve | [ 227] |
| The investigating committee | [ 229] |
| St. Nicholas unveils | [ 231] |
THE STORY OF SANTA
KLAUS
CHAPTER I
WHO IS SANTA KLAUS?
If you go to England you will find many people there who have never heard of Santa Klaus. Only the other day a leading London paper confessed that it could not understand why a magazine for children should be called St. Nicholas.
Now if you were asked the question which heads this chapter do you think you could answer it so as to make an Englishman understand who Santa Klaus is? Could you also explain what connection Saint Nicholas has with children?
Of course you might glibly reply: