Happy St Nicholas Day

Today is St. Nicholas Day -- December 6. We celebrate St Nicholas Day by opening a couple of presents and filling a stocking with gold chocolate coins and games. We read books about St Nicholas.

The Saint Who Became Santa Claus by Evelyn Bence (I can't find it online)
The Real Santa Claus: Legends of Saint Nicholas byMariana Mayer

This is a tradition we started when Alex was 3 years. I want Alex to know who St Nicholas is and how he turned into Santa Claus over time.

Santa Claus is fun, but I think too much emphasis is placed on gifts, Santa Claus and busyness during December. I want to teach Alex that Christmas is not all about Santa Claus, but about the celebration of the birth of Christ.

Since I grew up with Santa Claus and the magical feelings associated with him, it has been hard to talk straight with Alex. So I have talked about St Nicholas and not Santa Claus. However, everywhere you turn in December in America you see Santa Claus. At age 9, Alex knows in his head about St Nicholas, but he so much wants to believe there is a person called Santa Claus who delivers gifts to boys and girls around the world.

There is lots of information on the Internet about St Nicholas. My favorite website is http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23. This is the Russian Winter Icon of St. Nicholas.