Sunday, December 7, 2008

what's st. nicholas day???


well, i didn't really know either

until...

katherine started kindergarten. we sent her to a private catholic school for primary (k-3). we, being methodists, had only really ever celebrated st. patrick's day... as far as saints' days were concerned.


(in the above st. nicholas day card,
it was dutch tradition to fill clogs
with hay and carrots for st. nicholas' horses.)


katherine came home from kindergarten one day after thanksgiving informing me that december 6th would be st. nicholas day and that if she placed her shoes by the fire place (on the 5th) that the next morning the shoes would be filled with goodies.

hmmm...

i did a little research and found that st. nicholas was a man of great faith who lived his life in order to glorify Christ. saint nicholas loved children and cared for the needy. he brought the love and healing of Jesus to both. st. nicholas was the epitome of selfless giving always honoring God who sent his Son, the greatest gift of all.

i also found that by celebrating this early advent holiday it helped katherine to better understand santa claus by revealing the real person who inspired the familiar legend and traditions.

anyway, when katherine was younger we always placed an old pair of her slippers on the hearth on the night of december 5th, and the next morning new slippers were there in the place of the old ones filled with candy and a beanie baby (or two;). i found it to be a really sweet tradition...

love and God's blessings,
dani xxx


13 comments:

SuzanSayz said...

I really like that. What a cute family tradition. It's always fun to learn about other beliefs and traditions and to even try a few on for size!

Amanda said...

I like the sound of St Nicolas Day!
I hope your slippers were filled too :-)
Love,
Amanda x

Miss Lisa said...

My husband went to Catholic school and we have always toyed with doing this. We just never get around to it :(

I'm glad you could do it with your daughter :)

chico said...

did you know, one of my nicknames is nichlous:D
because of st. nichlous:P

Christy said...

Thanks for clarifying Dani!

Tabitha said...

We used to leave a shoe out when we were younger (and lived in Germany) with a carrot and mince pie for St Nicholas and the next morning our shoe was filled with sweets ~ it was such a nice tradition for us too!!
Great to read this Dani ~ has brought back very happy childhood memories for me ~ Thankyou XXX
Love and big hugs XXXXX

PS~ any sign of a special parcel all the way from little old me???
Hope it gets to you OK XXX

Little Sweethearts said...

Sinterklaas has paid a visit over here in the meantime as well. Take a peek at my blog for pictures!

Love and hugs,
Tania

Allikaye's Mama said...

Oh what a great idea..tradition! I want to remember that for next year! Love it!

dani said...

not yet, tabitha, but i'm watching;)
i'm shipping out tomorrow!!!
love,
dani

Jan said...

That is so awesome Dani. Love the tradition you taught us about.

Tanya said...

What a beautiful tradition! I hope St. Nicholas filled your slippers with wonderful goodies :)

love,
t. xxxx

Weith Kick said...

My wife and I were visiting her grandma this weekend and she kept talking about December 6 being the day of the "little Christmas." I didn't know what she was talking about but obviously you do. Thanks for clarifying it all!

Heidi D said...

I've always contemplated do different traditions from around the world. They just seem really cool. Maybe I will try some.