And there is this part of the story involving a miracle:
The second anecdote tells of the time a tavern owner robbed, murdered three children, hiding their remains in pickle barrels.
Fortunately, Saint Nicholas happened to walk through the tavern-keepers door
.Soon, all three boys, were back home, reeking of pickle juice. What became of the shopkeeper is unrecorded
. By the Middle Ages, Nick had become the patron saint of children, and he had a new gig: gift-giving. Throughout Europe, the legend spread: He delivered trinkets to good kids and twigs to naughty ones.