Last Week I shared about why we love to choose Saint Nicholas over Santa Claus. Today I want to tell you a bit about what we are doing, and how we benefit from this tradition. Our family loves honoring St. Nicholas, and whether you are Catholic, Protestant, or even non-religious and want to learn about our faith, St. Nicholas is a beautiful saint to study.
HIS STORY
The St. Nicholas Center is fantastic and has been a favorite for us in the past few years. The older kids never tire of reading the story behind the man, and we print off activities for my younger set from the page for kids.
HIS SERVICE
St. Nicholas was a bishop of the church, giving his whole life to the people. He also was extravagant in his service and benevolence, asking for no reward. Following his example, we try to find a way we can serve as a family, around his feast day, December 6th. It’s a perfect time, while days are ticked off for the upcoming Christmastide and dreams of wishlists fulfilled are at the forefront of their minds. We slow down, roll up our sleeves, and we serve. We stop to recognize the many privileges we have and we acknowledge that others need more and are worthy of our sacrifices.
This year, today actually, we signed up to spend several hours sorting and wrapping gifts for local foster children. We are so blessed by this opportunity to serve with Cherokee Secret Santa!!! (Please consider becoming a sponsor or donating a MUCH NEEDED gift card for these children, by emailing them at cherokeesanta@yahoo.com !!
We are so inspired as a family, by Lisa Wheeler and her work with Cherokee Secret Santa. Lisa is not only a foster mother herself, having loved and cared for many over the past 10 years, she is also a national advocate and speaker. She is fully invested in challenging others to dig deep and serve marginalized children who are in the DFCS system. Still, she has found time for the past 4 years to work tirelessly every holiday season, providing Christmas for over 400 children in our local community through the Cherokee Secret Santa Program. She is truly a treasure and I am honored to call her a friend.
As we go serve today, would you consider joining us and sponsoring some of the gifts these kids will receive?
HOW TO HELP CHEROKEE SECRET SANTA
My kids woke early today to “bust out our schoolwork”. They’ll eat PB&Js and a quick banana for lunch, gluten-free of course, and we will spend our afternoon wrapping at the donation center. Over our Bible readings this morning we discussed how small our family Christmas is going to be this year due to the current flow of finances. It’s not a problem, it’s just our balance. I’ll share more on that later.
My kids openly wondered how it will feel to wrap amazing gifts that they know they will not get to receive, nothing like them, for children who will experience the great joy of the gift but may not have a home and family like we are blessed with ourselves. It’s a gift of surrender. My children are not suffering this year, they are learning and growing.
What. A. Gift.
HIS FEAST
Depending on the day of the week, we try to make it to mass. This year we will be with our hybrid school tomorrow, so that makes it easy. We’ll wait to surprises in shoes and COOKIES FOR BREAKFAST!!!
So, I don’t want to name any names, but there may be a family member who struggles with serious anxiety over the idea of putting gifts in shoes. Shoes go on feet. Feet are dirty and scary, and Podophobia is a real thing.
Ok, yeah. It’s me.
I hate feet.
I’ve had therapy over it.
Feet.
I kid you not, I put paper napkins underneath the gifts and, if needed, buy new clean shoes as needed for anyone who doesn’t have a pair acceptable. In fact, I can’t find photos other than these two years, so I’ll be sure to get you a photo of our shoes tomorrow for 2018.
Morning of St. Nicholas Feast Day, 2012
Gold coins (CHOCOLATE COINS, of course!) and apples are a traditional treat. This is what we had last year in our shoes!
At the end of the day, we’ll feast together over something-delicious-that-mom-hasn’t-planned yet (keeping it real), and watch a movie or just chill as a family. We will read my personal favorite childhood book about who he was. It’s hard to find because it is out of print, but it is a fantastic read. Santa, Are You For Real is especially helpful if you’re gently introducing the real story of Saint Nicholas to a child who formerly only knew of Santa Claus. 😉
When it comes down to it, it is for the love of St. Nicholas we don’t do Santa. We keep it to the truth of who he was and honor his heart, just like we try to keep to the truth in our daily life and honor each other.
We play and celebrate St. Nicholas with full knowledge and understanding of who he was and why he did what he did. We imagine what he felt and thought, without the confusion of sleighs and elves, instead we contemplate with wonder how he had angels and the secret cover of night with the gift of love and faith. We get the best of both worlds in truthfully honoring him…. and an extra holiday!!
JOIN US
Wanna jump in and feast with us? It’s not too late!!!
TONIGHT
1. Take some time with your family tonight to read about Saint Nicholas from the St. Nicholas Center, or watch some of the videos I shared last week, on Amazon Prime.}
2. Have your family put out shoes, I highly recommend clean ones with paper towels or napkins…
3. Fill them with any trinkets, candies, treats… snag an item or two from your stocking stuffers if you’re the all prepared type that has them ready?
4. If you are really ambitious, make cookies for breakfast tomorrow!
TOMORROW
1. Wake up and enjoy their delight.
2. Spend a quick minute together in prayer before the daily rush.
3. Give thanks for all of the great men and women throughout history and today who served others, through sacrifice and gift giving.
Not so hard, right?
Now go. Quick!!
Saint Nicholas is coming!!!!
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