“You would know in a moment, this face must be St. Nick,” I thought turning the corner and spying the gentleman. Could it be? Could this vision be the real St. Nick or Father Christmas or Santa Claus?

“18th-century America’s Santa Claus was not the only St. Nicholas-inspired gift-giver to make an appearance at Christmastime. Similar figures were popular all over the world. Christkind or Kris Kringle was believed to deliver presents to well-behaved Swiss and German children. Meaning “Christ child,” Christkind is an angel-like figure often accompanied by St. Nicholas on his holiday missions. In Scandinavia, a jolly elf named Jultomten was thought to deliver gifts in a sleigh drawn by goats. English legend explains that Father Christmas visits each home on Christmas Eve to fill children’s stockings with holiday treats. Pere Noel is responsible for filling the shoes of French children. In Russia, it is believed that an elderly woman named Babouschka purposely gave the wise men wrong directions to Bethlehem so that they couldn’t find Jesus. Later, she felt remorseful, but could not find the men to undo the damage. To this day, on January 5, Babouschka visits Russian children leaving gifts at their bedsides in the hope that one of them is the baby Jesus and she will be forgiven. In Italy, a similar story exists about a woman called La Befana, a kindly witch who rides a broomstick down the chimneys of Italian homes to deliver toys into the stockings of lucky children.” – History.com

Turns out the septuagenarian who could St. Nick is Louis Meevers-Scholte. Meevers-Scholte is a local icon of sorts who’s been on an incredible life journey. Today he’s an entertainer – musician, keyboardist, singer, songwriter, performer – who travels locally and to Europe frequently. He performs and entertains and has incredible insight.

You can go to see Santa, Kris or St. Nick a couple of places locally; tonight, he’ll be appearing at the Waffle House, 2499 Lincoln Hwy East, Lancaster from 5 pm until 8 pm. On Christmas Day, he’ll be in Marietta at the Pioneer Fire Company, 200 North Waterford Avenue on Wednesday, Christmas Day at 11:30. You may want to stop by to meet him. He’s an original.