Ceremonial Speech
SPS: To praise Saint Nicholas.
CIS: We all know who Santa Claus is and Saint Nicholas the man responsible for all the wonderful things we know him for such as: selflessness, unsurpassed generosity, popularity we can all learn and apply his wonderful deeds to our own lives.
Introduction:
I. I know that all of you have heard of Santa Claus but how many of you actually know the history behind him? Saint Nicholas was the wonderful man that the legend of Santa Claus derived from.
II. Saint Nicholas is known by many names such as: Kriss Kringle, Father Christmas, Santa Claus and the patron saint of young people to name a few.
III. I would dare to say that most of you in here today do not know the true story behind the legend of Santa Claus but after today you should understand why Saint Nicholas is undoughtably worthy of praise.
IV. We all know who Santa Claus is and Saint Nicholas the man responsible for all the wonderful things we know him for such as: selflessness, unsurpassed generosity and popularity we can all learn and apply his wonderful deeds to our own life.
{Transition: Now that we know what Saint Nicholas is known as lets look at what made him worthy of praise.}
Body
I. Saint Nicholas had the most amazing trait of selflessness.
A. Saint Nicholas often went out and distributed presents to the poverty stricken people especially children.
B. Saint Nicholas wore a disguise so that no one would notice him because he did not want to receive credit for his good deeds.
{Transition: In addition too selflessness Saint Nicholas also displayed unbelievable acts of generosity.}
II. Saint Nicholas displayed true generosity in the story of the noblemen and his three daughters.
A. The noblemen had no money for his daughter’s dowries; and in those days, a daughter with no dowry had little chance of marriage.
1. Saint Nicholas decided to remedy this by throwing a bag of gold through the window.
(All About Christmas, pg.26)
2.Saint Nicholas did this again when the second daughter was to be married. (The Christmas Story, pg.43)
B. When the third daughter was to be married Saint Nicholas had to crawl up on the roof and throw the gold down the chimney.
{Transition: Now let us look at Saint Nicholas’ unique popularity.}
III. Saint Nicholas has proven to be one of the most popular and influential people to have ever lived.
A. Saint Nicholas was born hundreds and hundreds of years ago but is still popular today.
wealth. Neither of these men had a considerable amount of money. This helps the every
a.) “The waiter came up… a Scotch and a soda for myself, but the sonuvabitch wouldn’t bring me one, so I had a Coke, too”
Charles dickens classic novella “A Christmas Carol” endorses the notion that “Generosity involves more than the giving of money, it’s also about the giving of one's goodwill, compassion, sympathy, empathy and kindness. By taking his seemingly irredeemable protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge on a supernatural journey, Dickens’ intends to convey to all of society the importance of generosity. He proclaims that generosity of the spirit defines Christmas, and goes a large way towards defining true humanity for him as well.
[2] Columbus is a mainstay of American patriotism. He is the patron saint who planted the seeds of our nation. Our culture has been lulled into his heroic myth for hundreds of years and has celebrated this man with much pomp and circumstance. Columbus’ worthiness has been the subject of much controversy and is now being linked to such un-heroic terms as mass murder, holocaust, and genocide.
Saint Francis was born into a wealthy family. Saint Francis’ father, Pietro di Bernardone was a clothing merchant who sold his items successfully. Saint Francis’ mother was a
St. Boniface once again yearned to explore and travel. Through such ventures he could express the meaning of God to non believers and convert as many as possible. After continuos begging, Abbot Winbert gave in and Boniface’s petition was granted. During this journey, Boniface’s first obstacle appeared. “King Radbod, the King of the Frisians, and Prince Charles, the noble Duke of the Franks broke out in ...
A. “He who gives himself entirely to his fellow-men appears to them useless and selfish; but he who gives himself partially to them is pronounced a benefactor and philanthropist.”
2. The rape occurred in the basement at a friend’s house by one or two girls.
...ch out only for themselves, we lose sight of what Christmas is truly about. Forgetting the being of Santa Claus only makes us slight the kindness on which this holiday is based. Not believe in Santa! You may as well not believe in the very gifts laid under the tree on Christmas morn. Without your faith, Santa Claus would be nonexistent. There would be no yearning in your soul to give of yourself to others, no example to follow. Thank God, Santa Claus exists and exists forever, lightening the heavy heart as the sight of the snow blankets the soul and defines the heart of childhood.
Dutch children would put shoes by the fireplace for St. Nicholas or "Sinter Klaas" and leave food out for his horse. He'd gallop on his horse between the rooftops and drop candy down the chimneys into the children's shoes. Meanwhile, his assistant, Black Peter, was the one who popped down the chimneys to leave gifts behind. Dutch settlers brought the legend of Sinter Klaas to North America -- where we came to know him as Santa Claus. Clement Clarke Moore first described the “jolly old elf” with his sleigh drawn by reindeer, in the poem "The Night Before Christmas.
Francis is the Patron Saint of ecologists and merchants and he is said to be the founder of all Franciscan orders. Today Francis is placed in the church of St. George, visible to all people to see his stigmata. Many miracles have happened at this church where he resides. Francis is an all-around wonderful saint, who did many great things throughout his life. In closing, Francis really showed how truly great he was by entering the world as a sinner but changing his ways of life through imprisonment and turning towards God and leaving the world as the very important saint we know today.
2. His mother’s immediate marriage to his uncle has left him in even greater despair.
c. Traditional writing is too historical. Instead of looking at writing of the past for
(E) In “The Gift of The Magi”, Both James and Della´s sacrifices are their greatest gifts to each other. The most valuable treasures this young couple has are selflessness and dedication for each other. This symbolism of their most prized possessions is principal when saying that their relationship works due to of their magnanimous ways because in today’s society, people are insincere and avaricious. (C) Often hiding behind and insincere relationship, people mask their faults which shows their greed. They do not want to give up things they love in order to strengthen their relationship which is why relationships often fail. (A) O.Henry wanted to show how a true relationship should work, and that in order to demonstrate the magnitude of true love, both sides of the relationship should be willing to make sacrifices. (P) Think back to the needle in a haystack; it is true that sincere love is not an easy task, but it is not inconceivable. This one in a million chance to find the one you love can effortlessly be solved if young people listen to the wise teachings of O.Henry and learn that selflessness is the most important part of any relationship. By taking heed of this reasonable advice, the odds of finding that one needle among the infinite sea of hay will be in the favor of true