Happy St.Nicklaus Day

Here is St.Nicholas, Patron Saint of children, about to go onto our Winter Table.

I always depict him in blue to distinguish him from the modern Santa Claus.

Here he is dressed as the Bishop that he became, holding a golden crozier as he is seen as the Shepherd of the People.

For further information, stories and celebration ideas visit this definitive website here.

This is such a fond memory for me, I love the simplicity of it.

Nuts and tangerines given with only 1 or 2 small gifts always unwrapped, just placed in the shoes left for him on the windowsill.

It's our call to decorate the tree.

Little Seed's knitted ball with silk streamers from Green Mountain.

Wooden carved 3 Little Bears from Mama Made Them

When I was little my Oma used to sing:

Knecht Rubrecht von drausen komme ich her,
Ich muss euch sagen es Weinachtet sehr,
Al ueber auf den tannen spitzen sah ich goldenen lichtlein blitzen,
Und droben am himmels tor sah mit grossen augen das Christkind hervor.
Lieber Lieber Weinachtsman,
Seh micht nicht so boesse an,
Steche deine rute ein,
Ich will auch immer artig sein.
Einen kleinen zuckerman,
alles bring der Weinachtsman.

Translates as:

Dear Dear Father Christmas,

Please don't look at me in anger,

Put away your cane, I promise I will always behave.

One little sugarman,

Father Christmas he brings everything.

Knecht Rubrecht,

From outside of the forest I come,

I must tell you all that Christmas is near,

I see Christmas tree tops everywhere sparkling with golden lights,

And above heavens door I see Jesus the saviour.

 ....

If you were good you would receive some gifts,

and if not you would get a lump of coal and a threatened with a broom.

Well this tradition goes back a long, long way when singing about thrashing naughty children was pretty ordinary stuff. (Think of The Old Woman in the Shoe nursery rhyme.)

You can get miniature brooms that look like witches' brooms covered with sweets in shops today.

I always looked forward to this much more than Christmas...it is an easy tradition to start.
The stories are heart warming and simple, the most renowned being the one about giving 3 poor daughters sacks of gold for a dowry to save themselves.

Enjoy this day

x