St. Nick Came!

Peeking to see what's out there...

Wow!!! Look Mommy...The Grinch!!!

Ooooo...Stickers!!!
Happy St. Nick's Day!!!

Growing up, my mom and I always (well, almost always) celebrated St. Nick's Day. Basically what this meant to me was-we put our shoes outside of our door (or next to it, depending on the weather) when we went to bed and when we woke-up there was a little something in it...usually candy or a small gift...sometimes even oranges or tangerines. It was never a HUGE deal, but a fun little tradition...that was occassionally forgotten. One that stands out in my mind is the year that our shoes had to stay inside, and my trinket was some yummy chocolate. The only problem with that was...we had a puppy...poor Muffee got a tummy full of chocolate that year (she was fine)...and while she wasn't thoughtful enough to share, at least we had lots of laughs.

In our house, we've kept up the tradition...only, instead of doing candy or oranges, we all either get a movie that we've been wanting...or a CD (typically Christmas themed)...we typically also get Hayden a little game or toy of some sort as well. It's always fun way to wake-up that one day of the year...

By the way...here's a little background on St. Nick's Day:

In many places St. Nicholas is the main gift giver. His feast day, St. Nicholas Day, is December 6, which falls early in the Advent season. Some places he arrives in the middle of November and moves about the countryside, visiting schools and homes to find out if children have been good. Other places he comes in the night and finds carrots and hay for his horse or donkey along with children's wish lists. Small treats are left in shoes or stockings so the children will know he has come.
Where St. Nicholas is prominent, his day, not Christmas, is the primary gift giving day. Parties may be held on the eve, December 5th, and shoes or stockings left for St. Nicholas to fill during the night. Children will find treats of small gifts, fruit or nuts, and special Nicholas candies and cookies. St. Nicholas gifts are meant to be shared, not hoarded for oneself.