Growing up, my family was the only family I knew who did this. I always just shrugged it off ... 'it's a German thing' but apparently, it's quite popular, except in America.
I tried to justify it to my friends. There is no way that Santa could send his elves to every child's house on Christmas Eve, grab the list, make the toys and deliver them that same night! So my sister and I gave him a heads up a few weeks before, on Dec 5th and left our letters in our stockings. The next morning, the letters were gone and a few small gifts and candies remained.
While I may be 27, I still celebrate this and will have my stocking out tonight. My mom fully versed Manny in how to fill my stocking (with Santa's help of course)
St. Nick is the pre-Coca Cola Santa Claus. The actual person who inspired the jolly red giant-bellied man. In the 300s CE, Nikolas of Myra was a Greek Orthodox Bishop who was said to leave little gold coins in the shoes that had been left out. He also apparently ressurected people from the dead and increase the wheat supply, but I'll stick with gift-giving.
St. Nikolas became Sinterklauss in Dutch which became Santa Claus in the States. (and randomly Father Christmas in the UK, which sound nothing like St. Nick!)
There are different traditions all over the world for St. Nick's Night ... though apparently my family is the only ones that call is St. Nick's Night as it is technically St. Nick's Day on his feast day December 6th. But since Santa's elves come that night - that is the more exciting part for a 5 year old. Our North Carolinian tradition is stockings, but I've met people who leave out shoes and get oranges or money.
Kelsey lived in Lieden, Netherlands for a while and we spent Christmas holidays in the area. While they have Sinterklauss, the more alarming feature of their celebration are the Black Petes. ( Zwarte Pieten ) Apparently, Kels says the Dutch claim they are chimney sweeps which is why they are covered in black soot; though she points out they are just being PC, the tradition started because they were slaves. Zwarte Pieten steal bad children and send the Spain (I'd be okay with that) or today, pelt passerbys with hard candy.
As a historian, I favor celebrating a great man of a real historical nature who probably did leave little gifts for those in need. Probably didn't resurrect the dead, but at least we aren't saying he flew through the skies with magical reindeer. So Coca-Cola can have their Santa Claus, I want my St. Nick... until Christmas when I fully except to have gifts from "Santa" :)
I tried to justify it to my friends. There is no way that Santa could send his elves to every child's house on Christmas Eve, grab the list, make the toys and deliver them that same night! So my sister and I gave him a heads up a few weeks before, on Dec 5th and left our letters in our stockings. The next morning, the letters were gone and a few small gifts and candies remained.
While I may be 27, I still celebrate this and will have my stocking out tonight. My mom fully versed Manny in how to fill my stocking (with Santa's help of course)
St. Nick is the pre-Coca Cola Santa Claus. The actual person who inspired the jolly red giant-bellied man. In the 300s CE, Nikolas of Myra was a Greek Orthodox Bishop who was said to leave little gold coins in the shoes that had been left out. He also apparently ressurected people from the dead and increase the wheat supply, but I'll stick with gift-giving.
St. Nikolas became Sinterklauss in Dutch which became Santa Claus in the States. (and randomly Father Christmas in the UK, which sound nothing like St. Nick!)
There are different traditions all over the world for St. Nick's Night ... though apparently my family is the only ones that call is St. Nick's Night as it is technically St. Nick's Day on his feast day December 6th. But since Santa's elves come that night - that is the more exciting part for a 5 year old. Our North Carolinian tradition is stockings, but I've met people who leave out shoes and get oranges or money.
Kelsey lived in Lieden, Netherlands for a while and we spent Christmas holidays in the area. While they have Sinterklauss, the more alarming feature of their celebration are the Black Petes. ( Zwarte Pieten ) Apparently, Kels says the Dutch claim they are chimney sweeps which is why they are covered in black soot; though she points out they are just being PC, the tradition started because they were slaves. Zwarte Pieten steal bad children and send the Spain (I'd be okay with that) or today, pelt passerbys with hard candy.
As a historian, I favor celebrating a great man of a real historical nature who probably did leave little gifts for those in need. Probably didn't resurrect the dead, but at least we aren't saying he flew through the skies with magical reindeer. So Coca-Cola can have their Santa Claus, I want my St. Nick... until Christmas when I fully except to have gifts from "Santa" :)
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