Tuesday, December 6, 2011

a celebration of Saint Nicholas

Our family celebrates the saint, Nicholas, on his feast day of December 6. Well, actually we celebrate more on December 5, the eve of his feast.


Yesterday, St. Nicholas appeared on our nature table, as well as a postcard of him.


We also had a special, although simple, dinner of broccoli soup and buttermilk biscuits by candlelight.



Following dinner, we read a few books about St. Nicholas and discussed why he was famous, why he became a saint and what his folklore can teach us about his faith.


And then, of course, the children placed their shoes by the front door for their St. Nicholas Day gifts.


We celebrate St. Nicholas day following the traditional placing of the shoes by the door and following European tradition, their shoes are filled the following morning with a small orange, a peppermint stick and a couple of gold coins (chocolate-filled, of course!)

Do you celebrate St. Nicholas Day? How does your celebration manifest itself?

5 comments:

  1. Yes! We made decorative clogs for them to set out this year. I love your nature table.

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  2. beautiful-- I so love the st. nicholas figure-- i splurged and bought him this year:)
    always a joy to read your posts, friend:)
    xooxoox

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  3. No we don't celebrate St Nicholas' Day. But I kind of wish we did... it might keep the whole Santa thing in check... he's a bit out of hand, really. If we remembered the origins of all the characters, then we could give a bit of space for the real meaning of Christmas... I'm feeling a bit like we are taking second best by giving Santa so much attention at Christmas... Glad you had traditions to keep it all clear! Thanks for sharing. grace

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  4. Your photos look lovely. I really need to learn how to take proper candle light photos, mine always look terrible. We set out shoes this year and Zach was so happy to find some treats in his, and of course he knew he would get Naia's treats too, bonus! I also put in a small knit gnome in each child's shoe and a "gold" fairy coin. We also baked cookies and left them as a secret gift for our dockmaster in the St. Nicholas spirit of giving.

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  5. The Novelty Socks that best represent an individual's personality and interests are Socksmith Ladies Socks, with their bright colors and amusing patterns. Their catalog is full of unique prints, from prints with humorous food designs to ones with adorable animal themes. I just gave my best friend, who loves coffee, a pair of these hilarious socks; she adores them! These shoes are so well-made and comfortable that you'll want to wear them all day. Socksmith has quickly become my go-to for fun and stylish socks.

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I love to hear what you think!