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The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends.

It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. One of the best known of the St. Nicholas stories is that he saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father by providing them with a dowry so that they could be married.

Over the course of many years, Nicholas's popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors. His feast day is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, December 6. This was traditionally considered a lucky day to make large purchases or to get married.

By the Renaissance, St. Nicholas was the most popular saint in Europe. Even after the Protestant Reformation when the veneration of saints began to be discouraged, St. Nicholas maintained a positive reputation, especially in Holland.

The Santa Claus that we know today with a red suit and hat, first emerged when the Dutch settlers came to Manhattan on Christmas day 1624. Sinterklaas the good saint in Holland was named the patron of their new home. In Holland, Sinterklaas wore a red robe, while riding a white horse, and cared a bag of gifts to fill the children's stockings. A sinister assistant called black Pete proceeded Santa Claus in the Holland tradition to seek out the naughty boys and girls who would not receive gifts. Black Pete, to the delight of all the American children, was left behind in Holland by Sinterklaas. By the late 1600s and through out the 1700s Sinterklaas would be known as Sancte Clause who would arrive on Christmas eve December 24.

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, an Episcopal minister, wrote a long Christmas poem for his three daughters entitled, "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas". Better known as "T'was The Night Before Christmas". Moore's poem, which he was hesitant to publish due to the frivolous nature of its subject, is largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus as a "right jolly old elf" and a supernatural ability to ascend up a chimney with a mere nod of his head!

Although some of Moore's imagery was probably borrowed from other sources, his poem helped to popularize the now-familiar idea of a Santa Claus who flew from house to house on Christmas Eve in "a miniature sleigh" led by eight flying reindeer, whom he also named, leaving presents for deserving children.

"An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas," created a new and immediately popular American icon. In 1881, political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore's poem to create the first likeness that matches our modern image of Santa Claus. His cartoon, which appeared in Harper's Weekly, depicted Santa as a rotund, cheerful man with a full, white beard, holding a sack laden with toys for lucky children. It was Nast who gave Santa his bright red suit trimmed with white fur, North Pole workshop, elves, and his wife, Mrs. Claus.

In 1897 a young girl named Virgina was confused about whether or not Santa Claus really existed. Older children teased younger kids about their belief. She wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Sun and he wrote a column entitled, "Yes Virgina, There Is A Santa Claus". No one then or now can prove he doesn't exist. How can you argue about the belief of magic in a person's heart.

The Grant Beach Neighborhood Betterment Association is a group of citizens working together to maintain and improve the quality of living in our area. We meet monthly on a regular basis to address neighborhood concerns, and encourage residents to start smaller neighborhood watch groups in their block. We believe that people should actively participate as citizens in a democracy and as neighbors in in a community. We are a group of citizens interested in working together to maintain and improve the living quality of our neighborhood, motivate the city to address our concerns, be a spawning ground for neighborhood watch programs and build a sense of community among us. Working together, there is little that cannot be done, working apart there is little that can be done.

Mission Statement: "Improving the quality of life in our neighborhood"

This website is simply a tool we use to help keep our neighbors connected to each other, to their neighborhood and to their City of Springfield, Missouri. Please consider attending the monthly meeting. Potluck Dinner for the whole family and Free child care for the meeting

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