This week we learned about Christmas traditions in different European countries. We learned about what will happen tomorrow on Dec 6th, St Nicklaus Day, and the original St Nicklaus from the 3rd century.

Here’s a really interesting article about him that you can read here. The article begins with this:

Who is St. Nicholas?

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara in Asia Minor. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

So tomorrow evening, the children will polish their shoes and boots and leave them on the doorstep for St. Nicholas to come. They are traditionally filled with nuts in the shell, an orange or tangerine, and some candies.

We read about Christmas in many European countries and talked about the different traditions and how our own family traditions take in parts and pieces of traditions from many of these European countries.