Saint Nicholas: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

​Happy Feast Day of Saint Nicholas!   While much of what is known of St. Nicholas comes from 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.   
 
As promised, here is how we are celebrating the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas with our little love!
 
Leaving Out Shoes
 
My son awoke this morning to a special treat.  Before he went to bed last night, we set out his shoes by the fireplace.  This morning, we placed a bag of trail mix (walnuts, marshmallows and chocolate chips), an apple, an orange and a candy cane in his shoes.   He was so excited!  Since he eats apples every day, I assumed he would go for the candy cane and trail mix first but was pleasantly surprised that he went for the fruits first.  He kept saying “APPLE! APPLE! APPLE!” gripping the orange and apple in his little hands until I promised him that he would have the apple during snack-time. 

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Mass
 
After breakfast we went to morning mass and afterwards I said a prayer of Thanksgiving that he was so well behaved.  It wasn’t until after communion that he started to fidget.  He insisted on kissing me over and over again while I tried to focus on praying, giggling the entire time with a mischievous smile.  Thankfully I was able to hold in my laughter until we stood up for the final blessings. 
 
Saint Nicholas Children Book
 
We checked out the book, “Saint Nicholas” by Ann Tompert from the library and I read it as my little love enjoyed his trail mix.  Don’t worry, he devoured the apple at snack-time and the orange earlier at breakfast.  While I have been forewarned of the impending hunger and growth spurts when he becomes a teenager, I was not prepared at how much food a toddler can consume.   

Candy Cane Blessings
 
The candy cane represents Saint Nicholas’s crozier, otherwise known as a staff or a Bishop’s staff.  We said this ‘St. Nicholas Day Blessing of Candy Canes’ and my little love got to put it on the Christmas tree.    The best part was him enthusiastically clapping his hands after putting the cane on the 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.   I was able to substitute gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour.  Also, instead of rolling the cookies into small balls, I poured an even layer onto a baking sheet with parchment paper, baked them for 14 minutes and used a “Santa” head cookie cutter to cut out each cookie after cooling.  

​I then decorated them as best as I could to look like Saint Nicholas.  Let’s just say that I won’t be competing on Food Network’s Best Baker in America anytime soon.     It's the effort that matters, right? 

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Fun and Fast Facts About St. Nick:
 

• Saint Nicholas was born during the third century in a small village called Patara, now in south Turkey. 
• Nicholas was the only son of two wealthy, Christian parents but they passed away when he was young. 
• He learned much of his pious, generous ways from his devout parents.
• 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 afterwards 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 St. Nick.  To read some, please visit the Saint Nicholas Center’s website, here.

 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!