{"product_id":"9781472803443","title":"The Story of Santa Claus","description":"Every December 24th millions of children eagerly await a visit from a  large, bearded man in a red suit. But where did Santa come from and how  did he evolve into today's Jolly Old Saint Nick?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWell before  the legendary poem \"Twas the Night Before Christmas\" shaped the modern  vision of Santa Claus riding a flying sleigh pulled by magical reindeer,  his story actually began about seventeen hundred years ago in the  Eastern Roman Empire. There, a young orphan named Nicholas became famous  for using his inheritance to give gifts to the needy. In his most  wildly-known story, he threw bags of gold over a wall into the house of a  destitute merchant, so that the man would not be forced to sell his  daughters into slavery. Eventually, this young and holy man became the  Bishop of Myra and lived a life of faith and miracles, fighting  injustice and protecting the weak. Even after his death, his miracles  continued, and he is credited with saving sailors, healing the sick, and  even raising the dead. In time, he became known as St. Nicholas the  Wonder Worker. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the numerous centuries since the passing of  Saint Nicholas, his story has grown, developed, and been combined with  numerous other legends. In the Netherlands, he became known as  Sinterklaas, the old man who brought presents to children with the help  of his assistant Zwarte Piet. In England, he became Father Christmas,  the living embodiment of the holiday. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFully illustrated with original color drawings,\u003ci\u003e Santa Claus\u003c\/i\u003e celebrates the story of his beginnings as a holy man in Ancient Rome,  through his development in the Middle-Ages, to his current, likeness on  advertisements, greeting cards, apparel and decorations - right down to  real-life mall-based family photo opp. It is a winding, magical tale  filled with mystery and good will towards all men, sure to fill even the  most jaded scrooges with a little bit of Christmas magic.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA portion of all of the profits from this book will be donated to help disadvantaged children throughout the world.","brand":"Bloomsbury USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47129620742384,"sku":"9781472803443","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781472803443_p0.jpg?v=1763598631","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781472803443","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}