Remembering St. Nick

In my efforts to steer materialism away from December the 25th, and create new family traditions, I thought a great idea would be to give gifts on St. Nicholas Day. Only problem is, it always sneaks up on us and we miss it. I’m planning on a remembrance of St. Nicholas and his “spirit of giving” some day soon. Here’s some thoughts on what I have planned.

Read: Santa and the Christ Child by Nicholas Bakewell

For years, we’ve known the true story of St. Nicholas and how he loved Jesus and gave his money and possessions to the less fortunate. In fact, my favorite Christmas decoration is a ceramic sculpture of Santa Claus kneeling down worshiping the baby Jesus.

Watch: Nicholas, The Boy Who Became Santa

This is a wonderful cartoon video about Nicholas. Here’s the box summary. Nicholas was still a young child when he discovered a very special secret that changed his life. It was the gift of giving, by which he brought happiness to many people; but in sharing this great gift Nicholas had to face many dangers.

Here is a fascinating story of the boy whose love and care for others make him one of the most popular figures of all times. Today, more than sixteen centuries later, the entire world celebrates the kindness and generosity of the man we call Santa Claus.

Discuss: Nicholas’ life and contrast it with today’s version of Santa Claus. We can also talk about ways we can give to others throughout the year.

Do: Every year we write a letter to Jesus and put it in our stockings. We never wrote the letters on the same day, but writing it on this day seems like a way to remember St. Nicholas’ love for Jesus. Then on Christmas Day we can read all the letters we wrote from previous years.

Exchange: Gifts to one another in honor of St. Nicholas.

Does anyone else incorporate the real story of St. Nicholas into their holiday traditions? I’d love to hear what you do!

Reposted from December 2006

Grace remembers last year being “Santa Claus” and has already purchased gifts to give to her brothers this year!

Gina Conroy

Gina Conroy

From the day I received my first diary in the second grade, I've had a passion expressing myself through writing. Later as a journalist and novelist, I realized words, if used powerfully, have the ability to touch, stir, and reach from the depths of one soul to another. Today as a writing and health coach, I inspire others to live their extraordinary life and encourage them to share their unique stories. For daily inspiration follow me on https://www.facebook.com/gina.conroy and check out my books here https://amzn.to/3lUx9Pi