~ Five St. Nicholas Books for Kids We Love ~
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Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend
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Saint Nicholas
One of our family’s favorite traditions during Advent is celebrating St. Nicholas day on December 6. Growing up, we all set one shoe out on the fireplace the night before and in the morning, we woke up to a fun – and usually yummy – surprise in our shoe!
It’s so simple but it made a big impact as I still remember it so fondly. It has been fun carrying on the tradition with our own little family. St. Nicholas usually leaves simple candy or chocolate treats.
Every now and then, when God’s Grace is overly abundant on that particular day, I’ll do a little craft of some sort. But usually not because I’m not just not that type of mom – despite how much I’ve tried. And I’ve decided that I’m OK with that. It’s OK to DO LESS. However, if you have the talent and patience, Catholic Icing has a few fun ideas on how to celebrate this feast day with your kids.
I might not be crafty but, thankfully, I do know how to read and enjoy a good read-aloud book with the kids. Aside from the sweet treats in the shoes, St. Nicholas usually leaves a book about him for the kids to learn more about him. The books above are the ones we’ve collected from “him” over the years. They are all wonderful, I love all the illustrations, and they are especially helpful for navigating the tricky conversation about the difference between “Saint Nicholas” and “Santa.
**Fun Fact for the Day: “Santa” means “Saint” in Spanish and “Klaus” is German for “Nicholas”.**
Anyway, it’s been fun reading and learning about the different stories and legends and cultural customs surrounding St. Nicholas. Each book offers a different perspective but they all focus on the fact that St. Nicholas was a man who loved Christ and served Him in his life and continues to do so with his prayers in Heaven.
This year, I went to get our book for “St. Nicholas” to leave us this year but didn’t see anything new at the local Catholic bookstore. So instead I found…
How does your family celebrate and remember St. Nicholas’s Feast Day? What about Santa? Is “Santa” and “St. Nicholas” the same person in your family?
{P.S I intended to share this post earlier to give people time to order any of these if they wanted before St. Nicholas’s Feast Day this Friday, December 6. I’ve been ‘busy’ trying to use the computer less and focus on prayer and quality time with my family. That said, if you have an 
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Ah! I was JUST thinking how I wish we had some St. Nicholas books! I was going to Catholic A&G today…I hope they have at least one good one left. 🙂
We started the tradition of giving Philomena a new pair of pajamas on St. Nicholas’ day (with the intention of wearing them Christmas morning). We’ll see if it holds up.
p.s. I have been a silent stalker of your blog! I am so sorry I haven’t commented lately…but, KEEP IT UP. I learn sooooo much from your insights. I mean it.
sarahunfiltered recently blogged…Advent Unplugged
Hey Sarah! Thank you for your kind encouragement! You know I need it. 🙂 Every time I pray and ask God if He wants me to keep blogging someone, like you, sends me a simple note of thanks or encouragement. So thanks for being that today.
I hope you found a good book. Holy Trinity had a few, too. I love the pj tradition!