How do you explain St. Nick's day to your children?

[We_love_WDW]

I am wondering how you explain St. Nick in your house?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Are you referring to Dec 6th?

There are stories about him.

We had never participated in the tradition, but friends of my kids discussed it and my kids asked to participate. I won't fill stockings on that day though. Their friends discussed filling shoes...cue the disgust over germs. Anyway--so we do shoes.

 

[mtemm]

we've celebrated since the kids were little and just got excited, told them it was st nick eve and put their shoes out. once they were old enough to realize other people don't celebrate, it wasn't a big deal because not everyone celebrates everything. we have some books that talk about him, so they are familiar with the legend.

I loved st. nicholas day as a kid so wanted to share it with my kids. I am not sure if I would do it all over again, though, because NOBODY else celebrates it here.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Never heard of "St. Nick's Day".

 

[minniebeth]

We celebrate at home, but youngest DD's school (Catholic) celebrates in school too. They read the books, know the "legend" and St. Nick rides past all the windows on horseback for the kids to see. While they are distracted, they all leave one shoe in the halls prior and they are filled with candy canes.

There are several nice books with the story and will explain the customs. You can google the story too.

Such a fun little tradition.

 

[Buckeye Princess]

Growing up we celebrated St. Nick's day, sort of, without realizing that is what we were doing. My mom grew up putting out her shoes so we did the same but she nor we realized it was a specific holiday or date. We always did it the first week of Christmas because that was as close as she could remember.

 

[Planogirl]

We celebrated this in Holland and I always loved it. However I didn't carry forward the tradition here because no one we know does it. I did explain the custom to DS though.

I miss St Nicholas.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

My kids put their shoes out and St. Nikolaus fills them with chocolate coins, a chocolate St. Nik if he can find one that looks like him and not the chubby Dec. 25 guy, and a few small Christmas things (such as festive new barrettes or socks). To us, it's the official start of the month of Christmas (our tree stays up until Epiphany on Jan. 6.)

Both children know the historical aspect of St. Nik having helped the poor. DS (my own Nikolaus) is 15 and old enough to understand how the tradition of Saint Nikolaus (Sinterklaas in Dutch) evolved into Santa Claus.

 

[themilesfamily]

I grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin -- a very German Catholic and Czech Catholic area -- and I honestly thought St. Nicholas Day was a national holiday. I was shocked when I moved away at age 18 and found out that other people in the U.S. didn't celebrate this. (I also thought ATM's were called Tyme machines -- you Wisconsin people know what I'm talking about. That got me in a few pickles when I moved to a new city and asked the locals where the nearest Tyme machine was located.)

We've continued the tradition for our DD. We put out stockings and fill it with candy and stocking stuffers.

We tell her that St. Nicholas rides around the neighborhoods a few weeks before Christmas to check up on all of the girls and boys. Sort of a final check of who's being "naughty or nice." We talk about what things children can do to be good people, to show kindness to others and why St. Nicholas loves these things.

 

[SaraJayne]

I grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin -- a very German Catholic and Czech Catholic area -- and I honestly thought St. Nicholas Day was a national holiday. I was shocked when I moved away at age 18 and found out that other people in the U.S. didn't celebrate this. (I also thought ATM's were called Tyme machines -- you Wisconsin people know what I'm talking about. That got me in a few pickles when I moved to a new city and asked the locals where the nearest Tyme machine was located.)

We've continued the tradition for our DD. We put out stockings and fill it with candy and stocking stuffers.

We tell her that St. Nicholas rides around the neighborhoods a few weeks before Christmas to check up on all of the girls and boys. Sort of a final check of who's being "naughty or nice." We talk about what things children can do to be good people, to show kindness to others and why St. Nicholas loves these things.

We live not to far from Oshkosh now and St. Nick is a big thing here. DH did it growing up.

I grew up on the other side of the state and had never heard of St. Nick until I met DH. So it varies even within our very German state.

 

[Muushka]

I have never heard of the holiday either. But last Christmas I watched a streaming movie on Netflix Christmas Story.
(not to be confused with that little kid with the glasses) After watching it, I want to celebrate it too!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0772176/ From IMDB

Storyline

Hundreds of years ago in Lapland, a little boy named Nikolas loses his family in an accident. The villagers decide to look after the orphaned boy together. Once a year - at Christmas - Nikolas moves to a new home. To show his gratitude, Nikolas decides to make toys for the children of the families as good-bye presents. Over the years, Nikolas's former adoptive families become many, and soon almost every house has presents on its doorstep on Christmas morning. At thirteen, Nikolas is sent to live and work with Iisakki, a grumpy old carpenter, who forbids Nikolas to continue making presents for Christmas. Gradually, however, Nikolas wins Iisakki's trust. Together they begin to look after the Christmas traditional that Nikolas has begun. When the aged Iisakki has to leave Nikolas and move away, the tradition of Christmas presents is once again at risk. Thankfully, Nikolas comes up with a solution that brings children joy every Christmas, even continuing to today

There are some sad aspects to this movie (parents might want to preview for the younger kiddos), but it is wonderful.
Dubbed, but worth it.

 

[KNJWDW]

I grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin -- a very German Catholic and Czech Catholic area -- and I honestly thought St. Nicholas Day was a national holiday. I was shocked when I moved away at age 18 and found out that other people in the U.S. didn't celebrate this. (I also thought ATM's were called Tyme machines -- you Wisconsin people know what I'm talking about. That got me in a few pickles when I moved to a new city and asked the locals where the nearest Tyme machine was located.)

We've continued the tradition for our DD. We put out stockings and fill it with candy and stocking stuffers.

We tell her that St. Nicholas rides around the neighborhoods a few weeks before Christmas to check up on all of the girls and boys. Sort of a final check of who's being "naughty or nice." We talk about what things children can do to be good people, to show kindness to others and why St. Nicholas loves these things.

I grew up in the Green Bay area and St. Nick was a tradition and we still do it. Live in SE WI now, but it is also common down here.

Did you also get funny looks when you asked where the "bubbler" was?!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I should clarify my original statement:

I have heard of the whole "St Nicholas filling clogs with toys" business in Holland, but I thought that happened ON Christmas, not on a seperate day.

 

[pooh4evr]

I did it as a kid, now we do it for ours- you have to put your list to Santa (because they are the same person) in your stocking, then he comes and takes the list and leaves some treats, and small gifts in the stockings.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

I should clarify my original statement:

I have heard of the whole "St Nicholas filling clogs with toys" business in Holland, but I thought that happened ON Christmas, not on a seperate day.

Nikolaus (real person) was a bishop in the early Christian church. He was known for giving to the poor, protecting people, and was also persecuted for his Christian beliefs. After his death, he was made a saint. Saints have "feast days" when they are celebrated- Nikolaus' is Dec. 6.

Fast forward a thousand + years and Nikolaus is still celebrated in the church, but there's also a tradition of children leaving their shoes out on the night before. St. Nikolaus fills them with little nuts and candies if the children have been good. There is also a "bad guy" who leaves sticks instead if the child has been bad. (We don't include that part with my kids- I remember celebrations when we lived in Germany and the little kids being scared to death of him!)

In Germany, it is the Christ child ("Christkindl") who brings Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. (Just as Sinterklaas {eg St Nikolaus in Dutch} evolved into "Santa Claus", "Christkindl" has evolved into "Kris Kringle"... it's all a little muddled now, but kind of neat to look at the history of it.)

 

[kathie859]

My heritage is German Catholic and we celebrated St. Nick's and I did it with my kids, too, and yes, used their shoe! It's a nice story and a little teaser before the main December event-Christmas!

Everyone I knew growing up and most classmates of my kids celebrated St. Nick's. The gifts were small things and candies--nothing over the top.

 

[tzolkin]

Our kids each get an ornament for the Christmas tree left in their shoes.

I grew up in a Catholic family that attended daily mass and participated in celebrations of many different saints' days. We just think it's a fun little tradition for the kids and started the ornaments with my oldest DD since DH & I were just married and thought it would be a nice way to add a little something to our tree each year.

I should clarify my original statement:

I have heard of the whole "St Nicholas filling clogs with toys" business in Holland, but I thought that happened ON Christmas, not on a seperate day.

December 6th is the saint's day, so that's why these little traditions are celebrated on that day.

 

[Kies99]

Since we're on St. Nick, should we also bring up Krampus??

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Since we're on St. Nick, should we also bring up Krampus??

Don't forget Ruprecht and Zwarte Piet, too. Then we can add derogatory blackface to beatings and scaring kids half to death to the fun of the holiday

My friend's little boy was so upset after his {German} kindergarten's St. Nik Day party, I didn't think he was ever going to go back! (And the teachers of course considered it a pretty "toned down" version of the story!)

 

[rchristiansen]

We celebrated this as a kid growing up in Wisconsin and I never really understood him. I always figured he was Santa Claus's cousin or something.

We didn't live in WI while DD was younger. So we never did it. Then when we moved here when DD was 5, we realized all the families were doing it around here and St. Nick just "showed up" - no explanation was needed: DD just loved the idea of getting all the candy!