Celebrating St. Nicholas Day!

Hello again, to all my friends! I'm glad you came to play...

You might be a parent if you get that reference.

Anyway, today is the Feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Bishop of Myra! Now, December 6th is his birthday on the New Calendar. Not too many people are familiar with this, so here's a brief explanation. Feel free to skip if you get it:

Before 1582 everyone used what was called the Julian Calendar. That was all hunky dory, but the math is a bit off. Don't ask me how to explain this stuff, all I know is "the Gregorian calendar is more accurate." Well in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII changed the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church to this more accurate calendar. There was something to do with the date of Easter too. Anyway, because a Pope declared it only the Roman Catholic countries followed. All the Protestant and Orthodox countries stayed on the Julian, but slowly over time every government capitulated because of needing a standard international calendar, and the Gregorian won everyone over. Greece only changed in 1923 if you can believe it.

At any rate the Julian, being 'less accurate' is now 13 days behind the Gregorian. So today, by the "Old Calendar" or "Church Calendar" is not December 6th but November 23rd. That is why Christmas is on January 7th for us and the Christmas Season doesn't end until January 19th!

At any rate, here in OrthoFamily we celebrate it on the New Calendar (what the Orthodox call the Gregorian, because anything less than a thousand years old is terribly contemporary) because it's easier to space out the celebrations. They cluster all around December 25th if you celebrate by the Old.

This is one of our favorite holidays. So, without further adieu, how to celebrate St. Nicholas Day:

Step 1) The night before, clean the house. This probably has more to do with my own OCD than with any tradition.

Step 2) Tell your child the story of St. Nicholas (several versions found here) while he waits for him to come:

This is done with much winking and nudging.

Step 3) Promise your wife you won't, in the future, tell your spawn the part of the story where St. Nicholas resurrects three children who have been murdered and hacked into pieces by a butcher to be sold as meat. Apparently she'd never heard that part before.

OrthoDad laps are known for being the best seat to listen to stories.

Step 4) Mix up the batter for speculaas - a sort of spice cookie that's not as strong as gingerbread. I like it much more. It has to chill overnight.

Step 5) Ramp up the excitement (still the day before) with Christmas movies and hiding presents to fill stockings later.

Our Spiritual Spawn, but she was very happy.

Step 6) Hang the stockings with care:

Due diligence must be given to the care with which one does this.

Step 7) Wait.

You awake the next morning to this beautiful sight:

The St. Nicholas Icon was moved to our Icon wall.

You attempt to teach your kid that his Christmas ornament is in his stocking.

He will try to eat it.

Also, we don't know why he goes and sits in that basket all the time. He loves it.

Anyway the big rule on St. Nicholas day is you have to have chocolate for breakfast. We had hot cocoa and OrthoMom ate some of her chocolate orange from her stocking. I ate dove chocolates. I'm suddenly realizing why I might be hungry.

Then, of course, carols:

Prodigy.

Finally, while the kid sleeps off the excitement after hearing one of the books he got...

He is now awake and making this update last twice as long to write...

OrthoDad can get some speculaas dough in the oven! Here's the recipe (at the bottom of the page) if anyone would like it. Delicious, not too sweet, spicy but very light tasting. If you're lucky enough to have a very talented sister, you might even get a homemade cookie stamp to use!