December 6 is the
feast day of St. Nicholas, which appropriately falls during the Advent Season. This feast day is an especially exciting one for
children as they count down the days on their Advent calendars in anticipation
of Christmas day.
One
of the old Christian traditions surrounding St. Nicholas’ feast day is for kids
to leave their shoes out overnight in front of the fireplace, on the
windowsill, or outside their bedroom door so that St. Nicholas can fill their
shoes with special fruits, candies, and other small gifts and treats.
Another cute part of this tradition is for kids to leave carrots
or hay in their shoes for St. Nicholas’ donkey to eat. St. Nicholas takes
the hay and carrots for his donkey and replaces them with small gifts and
treats for the children.
St. Therese of Lisieux describes this tradition in her home as a
small child and recounts how much she loved it. However, for her family this
happened not on St. Nicholas’ feast day but on Christmas Eve (similar to our
American tradition of hanging the stockings by the fireplace).
“I knew that when we reached home after
Midnight Mass I should find my shoes in the chimney-corner, filled with
presents, just as when I was a little child . . . Papa, too, liked to watch my
enjoyment and hear my cries of delight at each fresh surprise that came from
the magic shoes, and his pleasure added to mine.”
~ St.
Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul
Continuing this Advent tradition in your own home is a great way
to teach your children to venerate the saints and to deepen their knowledge of
and love for the Christian faith. St. Nicholas feast day traditions vary
widely from country to country, but they all carry the same theme of small
gifts and treats left in either shoes or stockings.
