Happy St. Nick’s Day! My mind completely escaped me and I didn’t remember the feast day until Mass this morning. I would have left candy in Frank’s shoes! I try to look at my Liturgical Calendar every night but last night I got so busy and completely forgot. Shame on me.
Do you put out your stocking or shoes the night before? We always did shoes when I was growing up. The Feast Day of St. Nicholas was like a mini-Christmas in my house. My dad was very strict and our house was kept very tidy. December 5th was the only night of the year that we could leave our shoes in the front room. Us three kids would each lay out our shoes in a perfect straight row against the wall near the front door. As we got older we also got smarter and started putting out more then one pair of shoes. The next day we would run to the door to see what St. Nick had left us. The shoes were never overflowing with gifts; mostly it was just food, coins and maybe a small trinket. I remember finding food that we normally didn’t have in the house. It was the only time of year that we had hard-shelled walnuts. I looked forward to pulling out the nut cracker and trying to break through the hard fortress to get to the nut. Even though I didn’t like walnuts it was always fun to break them open for my dad. With the walnuts we would also get an orange or an apple. Another rarity in our house. Sometimes my mom would put in a little toy like a yo-yo or a paddle ball. I would play with that yo-yo all day as if it were gold! The simply things amused me.
As we got older the tradition of St. Nicholas died. The yearly ritual of food in the shoes was over and we moved on to the commercial side of Christmas. I don’t know if it’s because we grew out of the measly presents or because we were growing out of our faith. Either case, St. Nicholas left our house around the time I was in middle school. As a kid all I knew about St. Nicholas was that he brought me little presents on Dec. 6th. Now that I am older I understand the feast day and why St. Nicholas is so important in our church. He teaches us about being charitable to the less fortunate. It’s a day to love our neighbor regardless of their situation. It’s a day where we can change someone’s life by a random act of kindness. Just like St. Nicholas did for those three young girls so many years ago, we can do the same. We just have to open our eyes.
So maybe its okay that I forgot to put walnuts in Frank’s shoes this morning. Instead I should celebrate the feast day as a Christian adult and do something charitable for a stranger. Because that’s how St. Nicholas would have wanted it.
Do you put out your stocking or shoes the night before? We always did shoes when I was growing up. The Feast Day of St. Nicholas was like a mini-Christmas in my house. My dad was very strict and our house was kept very tidy. December 5th was the only night of the year that we could leave our shoes in the front room. Us three kids would each lay out our shoes in a perfect straight row against the wall near the front door. As we got older we also got smarter and started putting out more then one pair of shoes. The next day we would run to the door to see what St. Nick had left us. The shoes were never overflowing with gifts; mostly it was just food, coins and maybe a small trinket. I remember finding food that we normally didn’t have in the house. It was the only time of year that we had hard-shelled walnuts. I looked forward to pulling out the nut cracker and trying to break through the hard fortress to get to the nut. Even though I didn’t like walnuts it was always fun to break them open for my dad. With the walnuts we would also get an orange or an apple. Another rarity in our house. Sometimes my mom would put in a little toy like a yo-yo or a paddle ball. I would play with that yo-yo all day as if it were gold! The simply things amused me.
As we got older the tradition of St. Nicholas died. The yearly ritual of food in the shoes was over and we moved on to the commercial side of Christmas. I don’t know if it’s because we grew out of the measly presents or because we were growing out of our faith. Either case, St. Nicholas left our house around the time I was in middle school. As a kid all I knew about St. Nicholas was that he brought me little presents on Dec. 6th. Now that I am older I understand the feast day and why St. Nicholas is so important in our church. He teaches us about being charitable to the less fortunate. It’s a day to love our neighbor regardless of their situation. It’s a day where we can change someone’s life by a random act of kindness. Just like St. Nicholas did for those three young girls so many years ago, we can do the same. We just have to open our eyes.
So maybe its okay that I forgot to put walnuts in Frank’s shoes this morning. Instead I should celebrate the feast day as a Christian adult and do something charitable for a stranger. Because that’s how St. Nicholas would have wanted it.
1 comment:
I didn't know that you and your family celebrated the Feast of St. Nicholas. I thought we only celebrated it in Profe's spanish class in high school. Remember?
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