Every Legend Begins With a Truth No One Expected
Old Saint Nick: The True Story of Santa Claus reimagines the real man behind the myth — the bishop, the demon he called a friend, and the two-thousand-year secret only now being told. This isn’t another Christmas tale. It’s the origin story of Saint Nicholas himself, as he tells it.
- About the author
Meet the Author
Anthony V. McLean is the author of Old Saint Nick: The True Story of Santa Claus, a novel year in the making and built from a lifelong fascination with the real history behind Christmas’s most famous figure. A father of three, Anthony wrote the book for his children first — and for anyone who has ever wondered what truth might be hiding behind the legend of Saint Nicholas.
- Why Readers Love This Book
A Legend Two Thousand Years in the Making
Epic Fantasy
A demon, a bishop, and a war with the Devil himself — Old Saint Nick trades tinsel for teeth, reimagining Santa’s story as dark, sweeping fantasy.
Heartwarming Story
Beneath the myth is a story about friendship, grief, and the family Nicholas chose. It’s a Christmas story with real emotional stakes.
Rich World Building
From Saint Nicholas Day traditions to the true origins of Krampus, the novel weaves centuries of real folklore into one continuous, original mythology.
Family Friendly
Written by a father for his own children, Old Saint Nick is built to be read and shared across generations of Christmas lovers.
- The Book
Old Saint Nick: The True Story of Santa Claus
Everyone knows the legend. Almost no one knows the truth. Old Saint Nick tells the real story of Bishop Nicholas — a man transformed into something eternal by a bond he never expected, with a companion the world would come to fear as Krampus.
Told through Nicholas’s own account — and, in places, through the eyes of his wife, Mary — the novel spans centuries, continents, and one impossible friendship, arriving finally at the Christmas Eve tradition we know today.
Paperback
$ 16.99
Hardcover
$ 21.99
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The Story Behind the Legend
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