Celebrating St. Nicholas Day

[@LoveRachelXOXOXO]

Thank you for the ideas Sarah! Our family is Orthodox Christian and we prefer to keep the focus of Christmas religious so gifts are kept pretty simple. Our church was incredibly fortunate a couple years ago to be visited by a relic of St Nicholas (his finger bone) so my children have no delusions of the American version of a magical Santa. I love your ideas for tiny gifts for the shoes. It is also customary to perform some act of service or make a donation in honor of the Saint on that day, and little children’s books about him can be found which also make a nice small gift to include.

[@nataliebourgeois3581]

We are learning to make our own peg dolls! They will be perfect for celebrating this. Our family loves everything Waldorf! Thanks for all the videos. I am using them for our homeschooling and family rhythm.

[@mamaof2528]

I love this one! I started a tradition of giving my twins their holiday pajamas from St. Nicholas then taking their picture for our holiday card in front of the tree in their pajamas that night. They also get a holiday book from him to read throughout the season. Peg dolls are another favorite.

[@ellenh5976]

It’s funny to hear this :) here in the Netherlands we celebrate st Nicolas, aka Sinterklaas as big as you guys do Santa Claus :) and it’s very commercial! Somewhere in november Sinterklaas arrives on his boat in every big city. It is also on the news and he gets his own show. We have a special tv show every day “sinterklaas journaal” (like a news show about him). Children do put their shoes out and recieve these things you speak about, but they can do it every night from the moment he arrives officially until december 6th. And on the eve of the 6th, children get a big bag filled with toys. Sometimes parents ask a neighbor to knock on the door and put the bag on the doorstep and then run away. Sometimes they ask a family member to dress up like Sinterklaas and let the toys be delivered “in person” by ‘the man himself’. We celebrate Sinterklaas very big, but are way less into the gift giving on Christmas. Most ppl anyway :) we try to focus on the nativity story and family on Christmas.

[@laurasalsa]

And sometimes kids put a carrot in their shoe for his horse to eat. Similar to the cookies and milk kids give Santa.

[@kaykepop4084]

This sounds like so much fun. And more festive. I live in the US and of course we celebrate Christmas. Recently my kids asked if Santa is real. I remember reading about Saint Nicholas so I told them about him for the first time and my kids love hearing about all the wonderful things he did for people. My friend in Germany asked me this morning if we celebrate Saint Nicholas Day. I've never heard of it before, so I came straight to KZbin to find out all I can. I'm surprised to learn this is a day celebrated around the world, in different ways. But I love that no matter how it's celebrated it focuses on giving or at least teaches about the giving of Saint Nicholas. I missed the 6th for this year (it was yesterday). But I can't wait to start this tradition next year.

[@ellenh5976]

Actually; santa claus has been brought to the states in the 1800’s by european settlers. Back then it was also st nicolas. But he just got a makeover ;) and instead of shoes, you guys now have stockings and instead of black assistants he now has elves. But he still comes through the chimney ;) he was a real man once; a bishop who gave real coins to children. Sint er klaas -> santa claus. And before he was reformed by the church to “sinterklaas” he was, in pagan culture, the god wodan who rode through the sky on a sleigh with black horses and black ravens as his helpers. It’s another pagan holiday reformed by the church ^.^

[@c.e.9280]

We brush our shoes now. And we always ad a little sweet over here. ( a lot of people do way to much over here too) Greetings from Germany.

[@daveberry9922]

thank you

[@Moni-uo3sc]

We, in Hungary, place the child's polished boots into the window ledge, on the inside.

[@jwhippet8313]

A wonderful Methodist minister told me that St Nicholas's skeleton was once scanned so that his features could be scientifically reconstructed. They found his facial bones had been broken so many times that in life, his nose would have been sideways. He had been held and tortured for 13 years for his faith but came out not bitter or broken, but the kind of person people tell legends of kindness about. Edit: obviously not something to share with small children, but maybe meaningful for older young people.

[@nickonikolas7464]

😍😍😍

[@lifewithfourlittlemen6030]

Can you recommend any books about St. Nicholas?

[@nicolerentschler6636]

🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@PhotographyFieldNotes]

Any books you recommend on Saint Nicholas? Having trouble finding one!

[@robynsjp]

The idea of the shoe is to put carrots or similar, because Saint-Nicolas is traveling on a donkey which can use something to eat when the Saint comes through the chimney.

[@i.pezzotti853]

Why would Saint Nicholas eat something out of a shoe?! Wtf

[@robynsjp]

@@i.pezzotti853 You're obviously not from here, it's for his donkey. And it's a tradition in every household here in Belgium, Netherlands for generations.

[@i.pezzotti853]

Oh ok. No I’m from Italy

[@valeriegonzales2479]

I would love to see time stamps for all of the topics you cover in your videos.

[@ana.catarina]

activities practice for children, please

[@MariaM-wl8ks]

Sarah you’re invited to my house for Christmas

[@jameswiliams]

Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus Dear Sarah, The gift giving during Christmas became popular after the 3rd century when a certain Church Bishop of the Church created by the Holy Spirit the day of Pentecost became dearly loved by everyone because during his life time he was always giving gifts to those who were in needy without ever letting them know who He was! After the schism of the Church in 1054 AC the hat of God’s Bishop was replaced with the hat of Santa and his Divine Liturgy chant was replaced with a Ho Ho Ho! This was an obvious political-religious move on the behalf of those who did not want anyone to know the Church they deserted during the schism in 1054 AC this Saint belonged to, depriving people this way ~the life and the times~ of Gods greatest miracle worker in the world after Moses ! From the Island of Cyprus Acts 13:4-5, the island of the Saints Did you know Santa Clause is one of God’s greatest Saints? Did you know that he is God’s 2nd (second) greatest miracle worker ever lived after Moses? SAINT NICHOLAS THE BISHOP OF MYRA, TO SANTA A caring Christmas message concerning Salvation Truth for all man kind ! Saint Nicholas of Myra that lived between 15 March 270 - 6 December 342) , also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian Bishop of the ancient Greek maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (Ancient Greek: Μύρα, modern-day Demre, Turkey) during the time of the Roman Empire Saint Nicholas the Bishop of Myra became the second greatest miracle worker of God after Moses during his life time. Saint Nicolas was present in the Church’s first Ecumenical Synod in 325 AC when the Holy fathers were delivering the ~Symbol of Faith~ that included the dogma of the ONE CHURCH in the world for the Salvation of man! THE SYMBOL OF FAITH (of the Orthodox) I st Ecumenical Synod of the Christian Church 325 A.D in Nikea that includes ~the One Church dogma~ mb-soft.com/believe/txh/nicene.htm The Churches showing up ~after the schism in 1054 AC~ in violation of the dogma in the ~Symbol of Faith~ and the dogma as it clearly states in [Ephesians 4:5] “One Lord, One faith, One baptism, disguised Saint Nicolas as a ‘Santa Claus’ depriving from Him this way the knowledge of those who love him of the fact that he was a Bishop of the Church (the original/ONE Church) as created by the Holy Spirit 2000 years ago and a Church Bishop who took part in the first Church Ecumenical Synod in 325 AC.! This information is very important for us to know for it establishes the fact that Saint Nicolas was participating to all the Holy Sacraments of the Church including the Life Giving ~Holy Communion~ as delivered by the Holy Spirit the day of Pentecost. [John 6, 54] “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them to life on that last day" The sacraments are very important and very personal - they are the means whereby God’s grace is appropriated to ~each individual Christian separably~ because each and everyone has a personal and unique relationship with God in His Church! In most of the sacraments, the priest mentions the Christian name of each person as he administers the sacrament. [A Kor. 4:1] LET a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God orthodoxwiki.org/Holy_Mysteries It is a historical fact that there was only ONE CHURCH present in the world for the first 1054 years of Christianity. The Churches created after the schism in 1054 AC that claim that Saint Nicolas is a Saint belonging to their own Church purposely or un purposely disregard the fact that Bishop Nicolaos served the Lord as Bishop of Myra hundreds of years before their own church was ever created! ~Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus~ kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2qvkJ-qabpob6M The Greek Navy welcoming Saint Nikolaos Holy remains in Peraias Greece kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWeWiqStm5ijmbM St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia oca.org/saints/lives/2016/12/06/103484-st-nicholas-the-wonderworker-and-archbishop-of-myra-in-lycia A Merry Christmas to all! wordpress.com/posts/jameswiliamsblog.wordpress.com God bless

[@wnoro1451]

jd