Saint Nicholas Day!

​The Feast Day of Saint Nicholas falls annually on December 6th!   While much of what is known of St. Nicholas is derived of legends passed down over the years, Saint Nicholas of Myra, like many other saints, has a rich and extraordinary history.   Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, children, students, among others.  Here is how our family celebrates Saint Nicholas Day!
 
Leaving Out Shoes
 
Last year was the first year that my son and I celebrated St. Nicholas Day.  This year, like last year, my son will awake in the morning to a special treat.  Before he goes to bed at night, we set out his shoes by the fireplace.  In the morning, my husband and I place some treats (trail mix, a few chocolate coins, etc…), a candy cane in his shoes and an apple and an orange beside them.   He was so excited last year, and I can’t wait for him to enjoy the surprise again this year!  While we do tell him that mommy and daddy fill his shoes with the treats, he knows that it is because it is St. Nicholas day!

Mass
 
We try to attend daily Mass as much as possible, with as much as possible being the operative phrase here.  If we get to daily Mass a few times each year, I consider it a win.   We try extra hard to get to daily Mass on feast days.  Last year we made it to Mass on St. Nicholas day and intend to try to go this year as well.
 
Saint Nicholas Children Book
 
I checked out the book, “Saint Nicholas” by Ann Tompert from the library and plan to read it during snack time.  It is one of our favorite books and another that I think we may have to add to our library at home.

Candy Cane Blessings
 
The candy cane represents Saint Nicholas’s crozier, otherwise known as a staff or a Bishop’s staff.  We said a ‘St. Nicholas Day Blessing of Candy Canes’ and our little love will get to put it on our almost bare Christmas tree.   
 
 
Saint Nicholas Cookies
 
My son and I love to bake together, and I especially love to bake when the recipes are easy to follow and there is minimal cleanup.  I used this recipe for ‘Super Soft Sugar Cookies’ by Six Sisters’ Stuff and not only is it easy to follow but the cookies are scrumptious.   If all goes as planned, I will use a “Santa” cookie cutter to cut out individual cookies.
 

St. Nicholas (Jaroslav Čermák (1831 - 1878) - Sv. Mikuláš, Galerie Art Praha)

Fun and Fast Facts About St. Nick:
 
Saint Nicholas was born during the third century in a small village called Patara which is now a city in southern Turkey. 
 
Nicholas was the only son of two wealthy, Christian parents but they passed away when he was young. 
 
Nicholas learned much of his pious, generous ways from his devout parents and after they passed away, he gave away his inherited fortune in gifts to orphan children and others in need. 
 
His uncle, a Bishop, raised him after his parents passed and continued to guide Nicholas on a Christian path.  
 
By the time he was 19, Nicholas was ordained a priest and then eventually became Bishop of Myra. 
 
Due to his young age when he became Bishop, Saint Nicholas was called the “Boy Bishop.”
 
There are many legends attributed to this great Saint.  To read more, please visit the Saint Nicholas Center’s website, here.
 
 
How are you celebrating Saint Nicholas’s Feast Day?  Please share with us on Facebook!
 
As always, thank you for reading.  God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!