St. Nick's a Coming...

I've talked about the value of family traditions many times before.  The holidays for most of us are filled with traditions.  I thought I would share one of my favorite family traditions of the season -- celebrating St. Nick's Day. 

Now, having experienced this as a kid, I just kind of assumed that everyone knew about St. Nick's Day.  I remember how excited I was when our son finally reached the age to learn about making a Christmas list.  Having a Christmas list meant that we could put it out for St. Nick!  When December 6th finally rolled around, I gathered up our son and his list and asked my husband for his boot.  You can imagine my surprise when I found out that he had never heard of this tradition!  I was flabbergasted (man, I've been waiting a long time to put that in a post!).  He said it must be a 'German thing.' 

So, for those of you who (like my husband) are not familiar with this tradition, I will share my very limited knowledge on the matter.  December 6th is the Feast of St. Nicholas.  In the community where I grew up, that meant putting your Christmas list in a boot on the front porch for St. Nicholas to pick up.  In exchange for your Christmas list, he would leave some small gifts.  When I was a kid, we would get things like mittens, hats, oranges, and maybe some candy. 

We have carried this tradition on with our kids.  It is heartwarming to watch them peek out the window, find excuses to go to the garage, etc., waiting for St. Nick -- just like my brother and I did so many years ago.   

Do you celebrate St. Nick's day?  Do you have some other holiday tradition that you do?  If so, please share!  And if you want to find out more about St. Nicholas, check here.