We all know jolly old St. Nick as a chubby man dressed in red breaking into people's houses and exchanging stocking stuffers for cookies and milk.

It serves as proof that we should never underestimate the power of corporate greed and commercialism that we now automatically integrate Jesus' birth with evergreen trees covered in colored light bulbs, midget slaves running around the North Pole making toys and fat old Santa Claus.

The fact of the matter is that St. Nick's story is one few know, but everyone should hear.

Historians tell us that St. Nick was actually an heir to a sailing fleet born sometime in the late third century in a region of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) called Myra.

He was born into an extremely wealthy family, but was orphaned at a young age. As Nicholas grew he became extremely interested in theology and an authority in the fishing economy.

Nicholas, as a leader in the sailing industry, was known to be generous to his workers and conservative about sailing in storms and bad weather. He felt it was immoral to risk the lives of his sailors for a profit.

His fleet became famous because it avoided destruction from storms and so Nicholas' reputation of generosity spread throughout Europe.

Meanwhile, Nicholas was pursuing his real passion – theology. In his role as a Church leader he came to hear of a man desperately in need of aid, a poor widowed man with three daughters.

In ancient times a man's daughters would be unable to wed without a dowry. Moreover, unwed women were often the most vulnerable in society. When their father would die and leave them without male protection, they would be at the mercy of a nearly infinite line of sexual predators.

Because of the family's deprived monetary situation his three daughters would never be able to wed, and thus they would become extremely vulnerable.

So, the story tells, Nicholas climbed to the top of the man's house on the same night three years in a row and dropped a bag of gold down the chimney, thus giving the family three dowries and enabling the three daughters to wed.

This led to children hanging stockings from mantels and leaving out their shoes for Nicholas to put gifts in. Legend tells us that St. Nick continued to give to those in need.

All the while, Nicholas' sailing company continued to grow and share his tales of generosity. His fame as a generous leader in the community and an authority in the Catholic Church, as he was now a bishop, led to him being exiled by Emperor Diocletian during the Christian persecution across the Roman Empire.

Exile did not prevent Nicholas from giving to children or living his faith – he became the patron saint of children and of sailors.

He became known as Father Christmas in the United Kingdom. In France he was called "Pere Noel," Germany called him the Christ Child, the Dutch called him Kris Kringle or "Sinter Klass."

When the Dutch settlers first came to America they brought the stories with them and we now call him the English version of "Sinter Klass" which is, of course, Santa Claus.

The stories of St. Nick became unpopular sometime in the 16th century but revitalized during the Victorian Era when artists and writers rediscovered the old stories. Artists often painted him in his bishops robes, which became the red hat and coat we know him to wear in today's stories.

And that's real the story of St. Nick.

He was a Christian leader who devoutly followed his convictions, and as a side effect, became an icon for how generous humanity can be…which is far cooler than the myths we tell children.

It's no coincidence that St. Nick, an icon of human generosity, became affiliated with a holiday that celebrates the birth of the greatest gift humanity has ever been given.

This Christmas, instead of automatically assimilating images of Santa Claus with corporate greed or stressful holiday shopping, remember what St. Nick is really suppose to symbolize – the possibility for good within all humanity.