Get out those shoes tomorrow night, it’s going to be the Feast of St. Nicholas on Sunday!
Can we all agree that this is a kid favorite??
As a parent, I have to say it’s one of my favorites too.
Not because I love remembering to have golden chocolate coins, or oranges, or some small gifts on hand…
...but because Christmas has become so secular that, in our family, we take this special feast day that happens early in the Advent season to revisit and reestablish the legendary origins of “Santa Claus” in the hearts of our children.
It feels like a power-move in reclaiming the meaning of Christmas and I love it!
It kind of bridges the gap between all the secular stuff we are subjected to and our One True Faith.
It makes our family feel more on common ground with non-believers who, in our eyes, just aren’t connected to the fulfilling reason for the season. They accept Santa and his gifts without knowing what really makes him wonderful - his generous nature and life devoted to Christ.
We, on the other hand, get to do this year after year in our liturgical living traditions. How lucky are we?!
While there are many stories associated with St. Nicholas, a common tradition that has seemed to stick is the putting-out-of-the-shoes on the eve of St. Nicholas’ feast day for him to leave a little treasure or two in.
I love the foreshadowing of Christmas that this tradition provides, especially considering our family does our best not to engage in early Christmas celebrations. We try really hard to make it all about the preparations.
- If you have the CFC Advent Crate or Liturgical Art Prints, please remember to display your St. Nicholas Feast Day Art Print.
- If you feel completely caught off-guard by this reminder, grab our St. Nicholas coloring page here to stick in your kids’ shoes along with maybe some leftover Halloween candy or a Snickers bar from the gas station. You’ve got this!
Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!
Team CFC
P.S. St. Nicholas is celebrated in the December Crate of our Cycle A rotation, so be on the lookout for collectibles to commemorate this day year after year coming December 2021.