No, I do not mean Christmas Eve. Tonight, December 6th is St. Nicholas Night. Children in Holland, England and Germany celebrate tonight to set the mood for a wonderful Holiday season. Since we have a nontraditional family, and 2 of my kids are with their Dad this weekend we will celebrate next weekend when they are here. (I just never pushed a concrete date into the kids minds.)So what is St. Nicholas Night all about you ask?
Well... St. Nicholas was a Bishop in Asia Minor around 325 A.D. He was well loved for his generosity and compassion. He provided warm clothing, food, and even small bags of gold for those in need. Legend has it that St. Nicholas, comes down from heaven on his white horse on the the eve of his birthday to help children prepare their hearts for the coming of the Christ Child.
Before my children go to bed we put out a carrot for St. Nicholas' horse, and all of the old hats, mittens, and scarves we no longer use by the fire place. While the kids are sleeping St. Nicholas comes and collects all the things we left for him and in their place he leaves a new hat and gloves for each child. They also get a small bag of gold (chocolate coins.)
In the morning when they wake up we will have cinnamon rolls, and milk while we ohhh and ahhhh over the lovely new hats and mittens, and how amazing it is that St. Nicholas new just what colors to get to match the jackets they have. I will be back with pictures of all their fun when we celebrate.
Here is a link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas
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