The Life and Times of Nicholas Claus

Man About Town

Nicholas had been named after his great, great grandfather, who was well known as the best toy maker in the land. He passed down his skill of carving toys from the finest wood to his own son, and so on down the line, so that Nicholas's father was also considered a fine maker of wooden toys, with his own workshop on the outskirts of town.

For as long as he could remember, Mr. Claus had been longing for a son, a boy who he could teach all the tricks and skills of toy-making. Now that Nicholas was here, Mr. Claus couldn't shut up about what a great son Nicholas was and what a great toy maker Nicholas would be, just like his father. Of course everyone in the town, being very fond of Mr. Claus and the toys he made, agreed that Nicholas was a very fine boy indeed, and was very likely to follow in his father's footsteps, and become a great maker of wooden toys. He might even grow up to be better at carving toys than his father, if that were possible, the villagers teased.

During warm summer days, Mrs. Claus like to push Nicholas in his buggy, up and down the village streets, chatting with the local shopkeepers, who would give him a lollipop or a pat on his curly-topped head. The townsfolk were delighted to see Nicholas smile brightly and laugh heartily at the funny faces they made.

Then, one day, Mrs. Claus noticed that Nicholas was sleeping much more than usual, and that, even when he was awake, he no longer laughed and smiled as he used to.

"Your son is very sick," said the doctor. "I'm afraid he must keep to his bed and rest."

Nicholas grew into a boy still resting in his bed. He spent his days carving toys out of wood, the way his father taught him. Yet, Nicholas longed to go outside, to play with the other children. He especially wished he could go out into the world with his father, and sell toys, like his two younger brothers. He yearned for excitement and adventure, like in the stories his father and brothers shared of their travels to faraway places.

When Nicholas turned twelve, he became so ill that he needed to be in hospital care. And so, the Claus's packed up and moved to an apartment in the city. Mr. Claus had to get a job at the local toy factory to pay the hospital bills. Thankfully, the medicine Nicholas received was finally beginning to make him feel well again. Meanwhile, Nicholas tried to make the best of his hospital stay, sharing his wooden toys with the other children, who delighted in playing with them.

After a few years had passed, Nicholas became well enough to work at the toy factory with his father and two brothers. But he discovered that his father's great talent for carving toys was going to waste. Mr. Claus was just one of a hundred men, working on a long assembly line. The Claus's were on a doll-making team, where each worker had to attach an arm or a leg to a doll's body and then, move it on down the line where the next worker would attach its head. He could see that his father was unhappy and felt somehow responsible. For if it wasn't for Nicholas getting sick and needing to go into the hospital, Mr. Claus would still be carving toys out of cedar and pine, back at his workshop in the village.

One day, Nicholas went to talk to the factory boss, to try to convince the man to sell Mr. Claus's wooden toys, but the boss refused, scolding Nicholas and telling him to "Get back to work!" That's when Nicholas decided to open up his own toyshop.

"Don't worry father. I'll have you out of this place and back to carving real toys like you used to." 

But Mr. Claus was growing older and he longed for his home in the village.