Happy St Nicholas!

I've gone back and forth about the December holidays.  I am so conflicted about the over commercialization of Christmas, the huge build up and subsequent let down of the tree with all its many presents underneath.  Where is the true meaning of Christmas?  Sometimes I feel it gets lost in all the Christmas wrap and the extra large case of the "gimmies".  My children talk excitedly about what Santa will bring and I say, but what will we give?  Santa and all his fun seems so blown up and plastic now, like the Christmas decorations on everyone's front lawn. 

Not so St. Nicholas.  In the states he seems fairly aged and forgotten.  I haven't known really how to begin a Saint Nicholas tradition?  My kids aren't as familiar with this man and his Saintly life as they are with Santa and all his reindeer.  So I've avoided it, conflicted about what to do. I love the low key simplicity of the Saint Nicholas tradition of putting out your shoes for a few small treats.  If I could, I think I'd lose Santa and do only Saint Nick.  Though Santa does have his charms.  (See how conflicted I am?!) 

This past week we've read about the life of St Nicholas and last night on a whim and at the very last minute I put out the boys shoes.  I added some Clementines and Pistachios and that was it.  I wondered what the boys would think when they woke up.  I didn't tell them to put their shoes out.  We didn't read stories about this tradition at all.

So this morning I woke up to Owen sitting on my bed with a Clementine in his hands. 
Conversation:

Me: Where did you find that? 
Owen: In my shoes.  I threw the rest at Michael! 
Me: Jumping out of bed to peep at Michael.  Michael groggy, just waking up.  Didn't see the Clementines so I grabbed more to put in his shoes. 

The boys thought it was pretty fun.  I told them Happy St Nicholas Day!  They asked why there was food in their shoes?  And I said because it's Saint Nicholas Day!  We sat around and talked about the tradition and watched the cats, amused with their antics.  Both attracted to the shoes- (the salty Pistachios) and repulsed by them, (the citrus). Poe ate a Pistachio.  The boys devoured their Clementines and asked for more. 

Tonight Michael asked Saint Nicholas to come back again, with a wink wink at me.  So kind of a funny way to start a tradition but, ah well there we are!  We also brought our tree home last night!  It's lovely and green and the boys and I keep smelling the heavenly, piney air.  We spent the day crafting more ornaments for our Woodland Tree!  I'll be back tomorrow for the Woodland Ornament Craft Along, with pictures of our toadstool ornaments!

Until tomorrow...