Don’t know what it is? Don’t celebrate it?

St. Nicholas of Myra lived in the early part of the last millennium. He was a bishop for the church and was known for his kindness to children. He left gold coins in socks hung out to dry for needy children. He was named a saint by the church in 343 A.D.

I learned about St. Nicholas Day when I was stationed in Germany, twice. The second time, I had two children, and we had fun adopting local customs. St. Nicholas day “stuck” for our family. In the U.S., German immigrants in the 1600s brought the holiday with them, so it does exist here in places where they settled.

How does it work in our household? We put out shoes on December 5th, and the kids wake up on the morning of the 6th, eager to see what was left. If they were good, they get gold “coins”—actually gold foil wrapped chocolates, or lumps of coal (also chocolate) in their shoes, along with little gifts. My daughter knows I’m a big kid at heart, so she has me leave out a shoe as well. I got chocolate Grinch kisses because I was good, but not that good. LOL. I also got fuzzy socks, pretty pens, and a lovely notebook. I was as thrilled as the kids who received toys.

So, there weren’t many folks who wanted to start a Krampus tradition in their house when I talked about it yesterday, but does St. Nicholas Day sound like a tradition you’d like to start? Something to jumpstart the “giving” season? Leave your answer in the comments for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!