Skip to main content

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Happy St. Nicholas Day / Tuesday Everybody!

In my background, I have Flemish (Lowland Dutch) and German, and from what I understand, both backgrounds celebrate St. Nicholas Day.

St. Nicholas is who Santa Claus is based on. He was a real person. Unfortunately, not a lot is known about him, other than the fact that he would often provide for the poor and needy.

There's a story that there was a girl whose father was too poor to provide a dowry (which was extremely important back then, not as much now). So at night, St. Nicholas dropped off money so that the girl could get married.

He was a bishop and tried very hard to help all those in need.

I heard that the Dutch put out wooden shoes. They place hay in the shoes for St. Nicholas' horse.

Growing up, we'd put out a shoe downstairs the night before St. Nicholas Day. In the morning we'd have  presents in and under our shoes, and sweet treats in our shoes. It was great fun, and not many people I know celebrated St. Nicholas Day, so it felt like something special.

My husband and I carry on the tradition to our offspring, who have enjoyed it. This morning there was joyful shouts as St. Nicholas gifts were fawned over.

Today, I think we're finally getting out our Christmas Tree, and I'm hoping husband will get out the lights for outside the house. We're a little behind this year, but I did put some garland over the mantelpiece. I also found some fun wall decorations and they're up. So now we just have to put up the rest.

I started wrapping presents, out of necessity. Husband and my father have a similar gift and I didn't want husband coming across it on accident, so I wrapped it up last night. I still have some shopping to do, and I expect when husband gets back from his doc appointment (he seems to have some kind of a cold) he'll want to take care of some of his own shopping.

What fun Christmas/December Traditions do you have in your family?

Have A Tinsel-Filled Tuesday!

Comments

Susan M said…
One gift can be opened on Christmas Eve, after church. And of course, it's not Christmas until you've watched A Christmas Story on TV.
Tonette Joyce said…
Traditions...oh, cooking away, Bethany! My mother was a fabulous cook and baker; I turned professional for some years. If I think I can get away without doing much baking or candy-making, someone comes up and makes a request or a very strong hint.
After all I did to prepare for guests over Thaksgiving,I am having trouble getting into Christmas-mode, but time is ticking away!
Anonymous said…
Susan,

Sounds ALMOST like my family, except we opened all our presents on Christmas Eve and we don't watch A CHRISTMAS STORY every year.

Thank you for dropping by :-)
Anonymous said…
Tonette,

Best wishes on getting into the spirit! And it sounds like it probably smells good at your house this time of year.

Thank you for dropping by :-)

Popular posts from this blog

It's Worth A Fortune

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Does anyone remember the song If I Had A Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies ? I can't remember when or how I was first introduced to this song, but it's a fun song. So, how about if you had a million dollars? What would you do with it? Of course there's the responsible things to do with a million dollars--pay off debts, and such like that. Then there's the question of whether or not you give to charities, and how much. But, suppose you answered all those questions and you still had quite a lot left; what would you do with it? Maybe I'd go to Disney World. I've wanted to go, and I've never been able to. Or, perhaps I'd go to Germany and England, and Belgium (three of the countries my ancestors are from). Travel around seeing family and friends I don't see often. There's all kinds of possibilities. So, what about you? What would you do with a million dollars? Have A Tremendous Tuesday!

Spotlight On Author: Kerrelyn Sparks

Happy Friday Everybody, THE CONTEST PORTION OF THIS AUTHOR INTERVIEW IS NOW OFFICIALLY CLOSED. Finally! I get to post the interview with Kerrelyn Sparks . I was planning to last Friday, but unfortunately my computer had issues. I have been enjoying Kerrelyn's books for awhile now, but I had the pleasure of meeting her recently at one of her book signings. She is incredibly nice, funny, encouraging and a delight to be around. You, my dear readers, have a special treat today. Not only do you get this awesome interview to read, but if you leave a comment in the comment section (with your first name and email address--I won't be able to contact you if you're the winner if you don't leave your email address) I'll put your name and email address in my contest box for Friday night's drawing for a chance to win Kerrelyn Sparks' Be Still My Vampire Heart . Below (after the interview) you'll see the rules of how to enter, please read them carefully. So...

Gregori Celebrates My Birthday

Happy Tuesday All, ****CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED**** In honor of my birthday (that was on Oct. 15th) I am doing TWO give aways! The FIRST one is TODAY!  Today's give away is a copy of Kerrelyn Sparks' Sexiest Vampire Alive . Kerrelyn, being the awesome person that she is, has agreed to give a signed copy of the novel to ONE lucky commenter on my blog. Here's how it's going to work and please read all instructions CAREFULLY. ONE entry PER person : If you choose to email in your entry: Email to this email ONLY .  Your email should state who your favorite vampire is. And no, it does NOT have to be one of Kerrelyn Sparks' characters, but that would be really cool if you DID mention one of hers. If you choose to enter by commenting on my blog: Leave your FIRST name, email address, and what vampire is your favorite. It can be ANY vampire--but like I said, it would be really cool if you mention a Kerrelyn Sparks' vampire. You don't know Kerrelyn Spa...