If any of you (besides Pat's immediately family) did this growing up or do it now - please post a comment or send me an e-mail and share with us.
Here is what I found when I googled Saint Nicholas Day and went to http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=76 to see what it said!
*************************************************
In many places St. Nicholas is the main gift giver. His feast day, St. Nicholas Day, is December 6, which falls early in the Advent season. Some places he arrives in the middle of November and moves about the countryside, visiting schools and homes to find out if children have been good. Other places he comes in the night and finds carrots and hay for his horse or donkey along with children's wish lists. Small treats are left in shoes or stockings so the children will know he has come.
Where St. Nicholas is prominent, his day, not Christmas, is the primary gift giving day. Parties may be held on the eve, December 5th, and shoes or stockings left for St. Nicholas to fill during the night. Children will find treats of small gifts, fruit or nuts, and special Nicholas candies and cookies. St. Nicholas gifts are meant to be shared, not hoarded for oneself.
*************************************************
*************************************************
In many places St. Nicholas is the main gift giver. His feast day, St. Nicholas Day, is December 6, which falls early in the Advent season. Some places he arrives in the middle of November and moves about the countryside, visiting schools and homes to find out if children have been good. Other places he comes in the night and finds carrots and hay for his horse or donkey along with children's wish lists. Small treats are left in shoes or stockings so the children will know he has come.
Where St. Nicholas is prominent, his day, not Christmas, is the primary gift giving day. Parties may be held on the eve, December 5th, and shoes or stockings left for St. Nicholas to fill during the night. Children will find treats of small gifts, fruit or nuts, and special Nicholas candies and cookies. St. Nicholas gifts are meant to be shared, not hoarded for oneself.
*************************************************
And here are the other pictures from our local Santa's home.
This is their garage full of toys on display in Santa's workshop from your childhood. It was very interesting. We stood there for sometime pointing out the ones we remember and talking about them.
2 comments:
Erynn, I just wanted to drop you a note and tell you I enjoyed meeting Pat in NY last night. I wish you could have been there since it seems I know you and your family so well thru your blog. I also wanted to say my family also celebrated St Nicks on the 6th of Dec. We alway but out our stockings and they were full of fruit candy and a few small gift. Sadly the tradition stopped when we grew up. I tryed to continue this with my children but Ed never seemed to be home to enjoy it with us so I stopped after a couple years. I was so excited to see you carrying on the tradition with your two. I hope to visit TX with Ed in 2008 so maybe we could meet in person and I could share photos of the triplets.
We did St Nicks by leaving shoes by the door and in the morning of the 6th there would be treats and trinkets in the shoes. I quit doing it after moving to Texas. Also Jan 6 is the Epiphany, the day Jesus was discovered by the 3 kings, and this day usually involved baked items - cakes, scones etc but I don't celebrate that anymore since moving to Texas. Actually I think I left all my heritage and culture at the border and don't do any of it anymore, I miss it. I had other traditions too (some Irish, mostly Catholic), much of which is probably still celebrated up north but not in Texas. -Maureen
Post a Comment