It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: Holy service marks blessings of Saint Nicholas

A German church hosted a service with a difference as members of the St. Nicholas’ Guild dressed in traditional outfits – including the bears – for a service at the Sankt Maria

church in Friedrichshafenjettenhausen, southern Germany, marking the first day of December.

After the service the men are sent out to perform good deeds in the local community. in a reminder of the selfless acts carried out by Saint Nicholas every year which are credited as the inspiration for the modern Santa Claus.