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It seems to sneak up on me every year, but here’s your quick reminder that Friday, December 6, is St. Nicholas Day!
St. Nicholas is the patron of children, so traditionally, many Catholic parents plan something fun and special for children to enjoy on his feast day.
Since St. Nicholas was said to leave bags of gold in shoes, many families celebrate by leaving chocolate gold coins in their children’s shoes overnight.
St. Nicholas Day has always been one of my favorite feast days. I brought the candy-in-the-shoes tradition to my Notre Dame dorm, and running through the halls late at night filling shoes with candy from “The Huddle” campus convenience store is a beloved college memory.
But as a mom of four little ones, some years I’ve been left scrambling the evening of December 5. Instead of scrounging for something to put in the kids’ shoes, this year I wanted to make sure I remembered the gold coins and a fun movie, picture book, or craft. So I thought you might want a reminder of the feast day too.
Pro tip: You can get chocolate gold coins from ALDI and Trader Joe’s this time of year. Add a stop at one of those stores to your errand list before Tuesday!
Oranges are also traditional for this feast day, a throwback to a time when they were a rare delicacy. So it’s sweet to tuck an orange into your child’s shoe, too.
If you want to skip something edible, many families have St. Nick bring a small toy or book instead. There are so many lovely Christmas picture books that would be perfect gifts for this feast day!
Here are a few other ideas for ways to enjoy the holiday…
- Make a St. Nicholas ornament craft with your children
- Read about his life story
- Play a board game together in honor of St. Nick
- Decorate a St. Nicholas coloring page
- Watch a short movie about his life
You can check out more creative ideas for St. Nicholas crafts, snacks, and other activities over at Catholic Icing.
Here’s to having our best St. Nick’s Day yet. St. Nicholas, pray for us!
