Long before the illustrator Haddon Sundblom painted the figure of the jolly old red-suited elf Santa Claus for Coca-Cola in 1931, St. Nicholas was lodged in hearts and minds in many lands.

NEW YORK (AP) — The legends surrounding jolly old St. Nicholas — celebrated annually on Dec. 6 — go way beyond delivering candy and toys to children. NEW YORK (AP) — The white-bearded ...

In ancient German and Dutch folklore, Saint Nicholas, also known as Sinterklaas, would leave gifts in shoes and socks left out for him by children. By the 16th century, the beast-like Krampus was ...

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. But do you recall Saint Nicholas of Myra, the man behind Santa Claus? The jolly old elf of Christmastime lore is an embellishment on the ...

But mostly, they have come to be part of a once-in-a-millennium spiritual event: Saint Nicholas has come to town. Since relics of Russia's most beloved saint were brought to Moscow on May 21 ...

More than a million pilgrims have visited Moscow's main cathedral to see the remains of Saint Nicholas, a bishop from Asia Minor who's said to be the inspiration behind the story of Santa Claus.

The legends surrounding jolly old St. Nicholas — celebrated annually on Dec. 6 — go way beyond delivering candy and toys to children. WHO WAS ST. NICHOLAS? St. Nicholas was a fourth century ...

NEW YORK (AP) — The white-bearded Christian saint whose acts of generosity inspired America’s secular Santa Claus figure is known worldwide — but Saint Nicholas’ origin story is not.

NEW YORK — The white-bearded Christian saint whose acts of generosity inspired America’s secular Santa Claus figure is known worldwide — but Saint Nicholas' origin story is not. The legends ...