A Gift from St. Nicholas: The Story of Saint Nicholas and a Special Christmas Letter

by Christine Bolley

Book Overview

St. Nicholas is more than just a legend--he was a real man who lived long ago and had a heart for giving gifts at Christmas. Now, he shares his story with you in the form of a letter. Open your heart... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1562927744
• ISBN13: 9781562927745
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Honor Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.8" x 11.2"

Customer Reviews

An evangelical explanation of the Saint's gracious nature

In my own book, "Santa Claus: Is He For Your Child?," I expressed some misgivings about Santa's message: "You better be good or no presents!" I always felt it was a legalistic message that clouded over the message of love of the Gospel, a love manifested when God became man and was laid in a manger as a baby. This book addresses those misgivings. It presents what we know of the history of Nicholas. The author does acknowledge that myths and legends grew up around the life story. The book is a letter presumable written by Nicholas to explain his gifts. The letter deflects the focus on St. Nick and directs it to the Great Gift of the baby in the manger, a baby who came to redeem us from our sins. The book contains vibrant illustrations. Many are of the various dress that different cultures portray Nicholas in, rather than what he might have worn as a bishop on present day Turkey. There are also several illustrations of the Holy Family and the Christmas scene. Some modern day illustrations, such as the Salvation Army band, tie the story to current day readers. Each illustration, if you look closely, has a Bible passage cited by book/chapter/verse. One can look up these passages, especially if one has a favorite translation. Or turn to the back and find the passages printed out. I suggest going to the source (the Bible) and reading the passages in context. Overall a delightful book with a focus on Christ.

What a Gift

I loved this book...the biblical references and perspectives gave me a new and deeper way of looking at Christmas and St. Nocholas that I'll keep forever. As I considered the number of books I wanted to give as gifts, my list just kept growing. Then I realized that I wished every family had this book--and that they would all be blessed by sharing it together every holiday season!!! It is a very beautiful and meaningful story.

BEAUTIFUL

As a Christian and the mother of a four year old, I was thrilled to find this exquisite book. First, it is richly illustrated by Bruce Eagle with charming characters and vibrant color. The story is told in verse, which makes it appealing to all ages and even more memorable. The story is sweet and whimsical and allows Christian parents to embrace the story of Santa and to use it as a springboard to share the truth of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we often discard many Christmas traditions as being rooted in paganism and as detracting from the birth of Jesus. This book smartly places the focus squarely on the birth of Christ, and it does it with warmth and tenderness. I encourage parents not to discard Santa, but to use this hero of the faith, Nikolaus of Myra who was tortured and imprisoned for his faith, as an example of faithfulness and giving. Nikolaus's gift giving pointed to Jesus. Santa can, too.

A wonderful way for Christians to incorporate Santa into Christmas without losing focus on Christ

I was delighted to find this book! The first page tells of many different cultural beliefs about Santa (the reindeer part originated in Russia, the Dutch were the first to call him Santa Claus, Americans are the ones who made him a fat guy in a red and white suit - go figure!) It incorporates Bible verses and tells who St. Nicholas is. It focuses on asking WHY we get presents on Christmas, instead of WHO brings them. St. Nicholas had a dream which was a vision from God, asking him to be the vehicle that Jesus uses to deliver gifts to children everywhere to spread the joy of Jesus' birth. It is really a neat way to tie the two together. I highly recommend this book :)