Did You Know St. Nick Was Only Five Feet Tall and Had A Broken Nose?

We all know that the idea of Santa Claus is based on the legend of Saint Nicholas ( or St. Nick, as we call him) but did you know that St. Nick was only five feet tall and had a broken nose?

As the legend goes, Nicholas was born 270 years after the death of Christ in a Turkish villlage. There are many stories and legends surrounding the exact nature of his good deeds, but, clearly, gift giving was at the heart of them.

In works of art which adorn the chapels and churches in Europe, he is  usually depicted as having a full white beard and wearing red. That makes for a great-looking Christmas card, where he normally towers over the children. But it doesn't tell the entire story.

The fact is, St. Nick was just five feet tall, and had a broken nose.These physical characteristics were discovered by scientific examination of Nicolas' bones in 2005. There's a story that indicates Nicholas got into a fight with another bishop, who slugged him in the nose and broke it. Hey, maybe there is a connection here with Rudolph's shiny red nose.

So,  yes, Viriginia, there is a Santa Claus, he's just not as tall as we thought he was.