It is the eve of Saint Nicholas day and as a parent I found myself unprepared and unenthusiastic. Is this a tradition I want to honor? I found I could not even recall the story behind the tradition of Saint Nicholas. Something about leaving shoes outside your door and having them filled with treats. As a child(one of five in my family), I recall their being new socks outside our bedroom doors in the morning. Socks are always welcome. I must thank my mom, Grandma Clearance Rack(she chose her own very fitting blog pseudonym), for being a practical gifter. She always has Lil' Miss and all the other grandkids covered with coats, snowpants, and boots.
Okay, back to the Saint Nicholas conundrum...I had better google this and get the whole story.
As taken from Wikipedia:
"The whole family gets ready for the saint's arrival on 6 December, with grandparents telling stories of the saint. The most popular one (also the subject of a popular French children's song) is of three children who wandered away and got lost. Cold and hungry, a wicked butcher lured them into his shop where he killed them and salted them away in a large tub. Through St. Nicolas' help the boys were revived and returned to their families, earning him a reputation as protector of children. "
What?!? I feel like this story is too graphic for my 6-year old.
I, also, learned that this Saint Nicholas day is observed in primarily Catholic and German-speaking areas. That would explain the popularity of the tradition in our corner of the world. Mr. Cheaper and I(and just about everyone we know) are descended from a long line of German Catholics. Yep, stick around for a plethora of bratwurst recipes.
So shall we observe??? No. If I needed to look up the story, it really must not have been important to me. I think I'll stick to the non-material holiday traditions. Up next, tree decorating.
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