Often the true meaning of Christmas passes us by
The night
the holy star appeared bright in the sky
Christmas
celebrates the birth of Christ the savior
But others
are also remembered at this time of year
St Lucia’s
day is on the thirteenth day of December
In fourth
century Sicily Lucia was a virgin martyr
Lucia means
“light” very apt for a Christmas saint
She is also
called upon to cure any eye complaint
St Thomas’s
day is on the twenty first of December
The
shortest and darkest day in our modern calendar
Traditionally
the poor would all go out “thomasing”
For wheat
flour and other Christmas “goodening”
Not the
first saint you’d associate with Christmas
He is
perhaps better known as “doubting Thomas”
Because he
at first questioned Christ’s resurrection
He is
patron saint of the carpenter and stone mason
On the
twenty-six of the month St Stephens day falls
Boxing Day
or the feast of Stephen in hallowed halls
Chosen by
the disciples to help spread Christianity
He was put
to death by the zealots for his profanity
The most
famous Christmas time saint of all must be
St Nicholas
the Bishop of Myra now a part of Turkey
He was a
very shy man and the kindest man to know
When he
threw coins through a poor family’s window
They landed
in a stocking hanging over the fire to dry
So that’s
where it all began if you ever wondered why
