St. Nicholas

I grew up in a house that celebrated the feast of St. Nicholas.  I'm not 100% sure whether celebrating his feast is a Catholic thing or a Dutch thing.  Seems most people we knew who celebrated were either Catholic or Dutch so the line is a bit blurry.  If you want to learn more about him, click here.

Every December 5th, we would put a shoe out by the fireplace and in the morning we would have a little goodie or two tucked in there.  Our goodies usually consisted of an ornament and a candy cane.  Nothing extravagant or expensive, just fun!  I remember really loving that tradition and thinking that someday I would do that with my own kids.

  We have continued in the same tradition as my mom, {even though we aren't Catholic} putting an ornament and a little candy something in their shoes.  {SHHH!  Don't tell!}  It is so fun to watch them get excited over the little things.  And it serves as great motivation to get them out of bed, dressed and ready to go for school when normally it takes a great effort for them to pry their sleepy little eyes open! :0)

My kids always ask about the tradition as some of their friends celebrate it, but not many.  I enjoy telling the story of his sacrificial giving to bring cheer to others.  It serves as a great example of charity and generosity and putting others first.  In a season that is usually focused on getting rather than giving, it's nice to celebrate somethings that harkens back to putting others first.

Blessings,

{K}