World War I was only months old. Along the trenches of Europe, a miracle took place on Christmas Day. The belligerents laid down their weapons and celebrated Christmas together. Raymond Joseph “Jim” Yellig (1894–1984) had joined the U.S. Navy a year before the start of the war, and, on this Christmas Day in 1914, he found himself nowhere near the front lines. He did, however, find himself in the midst of his own Christmas miracle.
Aboard the U.S.S. New York, he and his crew were docked in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Hoping to bring some Christmas cheer to the local underprivileged children, the sailors agreed to throw a Christmas party. Yellig, only 20 years old and very far from an old man, was nonetheless chosen to play the part of Santa Claus. The main reason was because he was from Spencer County—the home of Santa Claus, Indiana. It was a moment that would change his life, and eventually set the standard for all future Santa Clauses.
