The saint who inspired the legend of Santa Claus is believed to have been buried in an abbey in Kilkenny, Ireland.

The remains of St Nicholas of Myra, the philanthropist who lived in the 4th century and was the bishop of Lycia, are thought to have been moved to Jerpoint Abbey some 800 years ago.

During his life, St Nicholas left anonymous gifts for the poor and his well-known generosity propelled him to sainthood shortly after his death in 346, inspiring the legend of the jolly man in the red suit.

One story attributed to St Nicholas was that of a poor man with three daughters who didn’t have the money to buy their dowries and thus save his children from slavery. As the girls came of age and the man’s angst increased, bags of gold were tossed through a window or down a chimney over three nights - providing him with the funds he needed to save his girls.

It is thought that the man who inspired the tradition of leaving presents under a Christmas tree, came from a wealthy family and he is believed to have given much of his fortune away. Early pilgrims visited the cathedral in Myra to pay their respects to the bishop.

The bishop was originally buried at a local church in Myra, in modern day Turkey, when he died. Historians now believe his body was later moved to the abbey in Ireland by early crusaders.

" Customer Appreciation Day tomorrow - 20% off"
" Our club is meeting tomorrow night at 7pm"
" Our new stock has just arrived!"
" All cakes to clear this evening before close - prices slashed!"
" We will be closing early on the 24th"
" Looking for temp help for next few days"
" Our newsletter is out - check our site now!"

Calling all local businesses and organizations to get Twittering!

Get your message out quick, easily and free to a large, local audience.
helloladner has set up its own Twitter page. Any Tweets (messages) it receives from businesses and organizations will be redirected immediately to be displayed on the helloladner website. Click here to see the page in action.

What does this mean for your business or organization?

If you are already Twittering, then send a message to the helloladner Twitter page, or Contact Us at the web site, and we will follow your page. This means that any Tweet your organization sends will appear on the helloladner web site.

If you are not already Twittering, get started!

Don't know what Twitter is all about? No problem, Contact Us at the web site and we'll explain it all to you. We can help you get it set up and running.

helloTsawwassen is on its way. Starting off, this new site will have many of the features similar to the helloladner site. After that, let's see how it grows in response to local feedback and participation.

If you live or work in Tsawwassen, then right now is the time to Contact Us and give us your input.

If your business or organization would like to get involved at an early stage in shaping the new hellotsawwassen.com web site, please Contact Us.

10 days of Events in and around Ladner
(Friday 18th - Sunday 27th December)

Click on the links on the right to visit helloladner.com and get more information of each event. If you have any event you want included in this newsletter and on the helloladner.com site, please send it in.

Over 1,000 local businesses, clubs and organisations listed.
Make sure your business or hobby is listed.
The directory can also be used for things like:

- Where to Eat
- Where to Stay
- Where to Pray
- All Things Art
- Taxi / Cabs
- Schools
- Autos
- Realtors
- Health and Medical
- Child Care

New helloladner Forum
Add your Voice to issues in Ladner

Come on, let's hear from you! A new forum has been added to the helloladner.com web site. This is where you can start a new conversation or add your voice to what others are saying.

This is brand new so please support this forum by getting involved! Click here: Fourm

Quote of the Week (this one's a seasonal reminder...)
"Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels." - Bob Thaves

Check out the helloladner.com web site for

- Daily Quotes
- Horoscope
- Local Weather
- Bicycle Shuttle
- George Massey Tunnel Traffic
- Local Buses
- Border Wait Times
- Lottery Results