St. Nick's Eve – Holiday Traditions Part 1

As a child I always looked forward to St. Nick's Eve on Dec. 5 as a preview of things to come for

Christmas. Saint Nicholas was the 4th-century bishop of Myra who was famous for his love of children and his generosity as a bringer of gifts. The spirit of St. Nick's Eve and the following day of December 6 is one focused on children, giving over receiving, and remembering those less fortunate. St. Nicholas Day is observed on December 6 with a feast in most parts of the world but the real magic happens on December 5, St. Nick's Eve, in Western Christian countries when children put a shoe outside of their bedroom door or by the fireplace before they go to bed. In the morning, children discover candy, fruit and small gifts in their shoes. Sometimes St. Nick would also leave a stick to those children who hadn't been quite so good.

When I grew up and had children of my own I carried on the tradition. My children all put their shoes outside their bedroom doors in anticipation of finding them filled with small treasures in the morning. As

I tried to quietly fill their shoes (on behalf of St. Nick of course!) it wasn't unusual to find at least one of our girls curled up on the floor just inside their bedroom door, having fallen asleep while they “waited up” for St. Nick's arrival.

Mandarin oranges or gold foil covered chocolate coins are given to represent the gold St. Nick would sometimes toss to children. Candy canes are left to represent St. Nick's crosier or the staff of the shepherds that visited baby Jesus. Small gifts represent generosity. Like Santa Claus leaving coal for naughty children, sometimes, small sticks were left in the shoes to warn children that they hadn't always been quite so “good” during the year. When St. Nick left sticks in my children's shoes, I always explained to them that they still had time before Christmas to make up for any perceived earlier misbehavior (wink wink). One year, when my son was about nine, I put a small piece of coal in his shoe. I intended it as a “joke”. I had no idea until thirty some years later that I had, in his words, “traumatized him for life” with that small piece of coal! Oops!

During the holiday season and in the spirit of St. Nicholas' lesson in generosity many people take the spirit of St. Nick further with random acts of kindness by giving grocery store gift cards to families in need, or dropping off wrapped gifts of clothing to those in need, or even anonymously paying a utility bill for someone.

If you've never “been St. Nick” you're missing out on a wonderful feeling!