St. Nicholas Day Shoe Tradition: A Special Advent Family Activity
One of our favorite December traditions is celebrating St. Nicholas Day on December 6. This special Advent tradition brings excitement and wonder to the holiday season. Children place their shoes out overnight, hoping St. Nicholas will fill them with small treats and surprises.
St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children in many European and Eastern Christian traditions. This feast day offers a meaningful way to celebrate the season. It also adds a little magic as children count down the days to Christmas.
St. Nicholas Day Custom of Shoes
The tradition comes from a story about St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey. He secretly gave bags of money to a poor family. According to legend, he tossed the money through a window or down a chimney. His gift helped the family’s daughters avoid being sold into slavery and gave them the opportunity to marry. After inheriting wealth from his parents, St. Nicholas devoted much of his life to helping those in need. He showed special kindness to poor families and children.
Similarly, to the American tradition of hanging stockings by the fireplace on Christmas Eve, the old Christian tradition surrounding this day is for children, on the evening of December 5th, to leave their shoes out overnight in front of the fireplace, or on the windowsill, or even outside either their bedroom door or on a porch so that St. Nicholas, who comes during the night, could fill them with special gifts.
St. Nicholas Day Custom of Shoes
On the morning of December 6th, children who left their shoes out the night before will find their shoes or stockings filled with gifts and treats.
Another tradition is for children to leave carrots or hay inside their shoes overnight for St. Nicholas’ donkey to eat. (St. Nicholas was known to ride a donkey laden with gifts for children before he was able to fly reindeers.)
St. Nicholas Day Custom of Shoes
In the morning, St. Nicholas would take the hay and carrots for his donkey, and replace them with small gifts and treats for the children.
St. Nicholas Day Custom of Shoes
Small gifts to include in shoes/boots can be new socks or slippers, small ornaments (I added a polar bear and Angel ornaments), holiday stationery, or small toys. You may also include chocolate coins, an orange or tangerine, or a candy cane which symbolizes a shepherd’s staff, which can be re-shaped into a bishop’s crosier. You may even want to add some religious gifts such as a rosary, saint bracelet, or prayer cards to introduce saints and history to your child.
Also, you can bake Speculaas or “speculoos” which is a type of spiced shortcrust biscuit, traditionally baked for consumption on or just before St Nicholas’ day in the Netherlands, Belgium, and around Christmas in Germany and Austria. Also, check out the recipe for Bonhommes ~ another treat associated with this holiday.
Carrying on this Advent tradition in your home is a great way to welcome the holiday season. And although St. Nicholas’ feast day traditions vary widely from country to country, they all carry the same theme of small gifts and treats left in either shoes or stockings.
The book The Legend of St. Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving is a great read as it explains the story of a young man ~ Nicholas, who, moved by the plight of the poor and needy, spent his life secretly helping the poor all over the world, giving gifts on Christmas Eve. Later canonized as a Saint, St. Nicholas paved the way for the current St. Clause! We usually read this book on December 4th as a lovely reminder of what Christmas truly stands for.
So, do place your 👞shoes outside on the night of December 5th, (do not forget the hay and the carrot for the donkey) and see if St. Nicholas visits you!
p.s. Some people leave the shoes out for the entire week prior to December 6th and receive little gifts each day such as chocolates and easy-peeled mandarins. (See comments here.)
Happy St. Nicholas Day Custom of Shoes and Happy Season of Giving!
For Christmas-inspired hands-on fun activities for your child, see here our🎄Christmas Inspired Unit Study.
