While for most people the Christmas season begins either on December 1st or the first day of advent, for me, it doesn’t really feel like Christmas until St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. Depending on where you grew up, you may have never heard St. Nicholas Day which honors the saint that inspired Santa Claus, but we were lucky enough to grow up celebrating it.

St. Nicholas Day traditions originate in Northern European countries. The major tradition that our family always observed was for kids to put a shoe outside their door on the Eve of St. Nicholas Day (tonight!) and in the morning they wake up to find that St. Nick has delivered a small present. Growing up we celebrated both at home and at school (one of the perks of Catholic School) and it always felt like a preview of all the excitement and fun to come on Christmas. While this tradition is technically meant for children, it became such a big part of our family’s holiday tradition that we still still celebrate even though we are all adults now.

Does your family celebrate St. Nicholas Day? If so let us know what traditions you observe! If not, why not include it in your holiday traditions this year!