Happy St. Nicholas Day!

 

When I was little, my Mom always celebrated St. Nicholas Day by having us leave a shoe out by the fireplace at night before we went to bed.  It’s a tradition I’ve continued with Nicolas and Bryce.  St. Nick would leave them a book and a chocolate Santa, and usually a reminder to be good!

They received holy cards and chocolate as we left mass yesterday, in celebration of St. Nicholas Day (although Nick didn’t take one – he’s “too old”!), and it reminded him that his feast day was today.  When we got home, he asked, “Mom, did YOU remember that St. Nicholas Day is tomorrow?”  I did, of course, but he was doubtful . . . but he put a shoe by the fireplace, just to test me!

That got us thinking about the year when St. Nicholas brought them sticks!  Nicolas wasn’t in school yet, I don’t think, so they must have been 2 and 4.  For whatever reason, it was a particularly challenging year (they were driving Mom crazy!), and St. Nick filled their stockings with sticks, and left them a note that said for each day that they were good they could remove a stick.  If their stocking were empty by Christmas Eve, Santa would be able to visit them and bring them presents.

Nicolas and I got a good chuckle remembering that year . . . they were successful, of course, and we all had a happy Christmas!  It’s hard to believe these guys were “challenging”, but they had LOTS of energy . . . they still do!

We finished up our Christmas decorating this week . . . Nicolas had the tree all done by Tuesday night, and we put out all of our other decorations, too.  This Santa has always been one of my favorites.  My sister, Diane, made him for me in 1973 . . . I remember the day she gave him to me . . . some unhappy memory of a trip to the dentist!

 

Here’s our tree in all its splendor!

 

Every night when we come up from watching TV in the basement, we find Casey laying in front  of the tree – I think she likes it, too!  It’s a very “Norman Rockwell” scene, but I have yet to get a picture . . . she usually gets up before I can get to my camera!

Happy St. Nicholas Day to everyone, and I hope you are enjoying your Christmas preparations, too!