Visit from St. Nicholas - Countdown to Christmas - Day 6

For several years now, we've been celebrating St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. It's something that we look forward to each year.

According to The St. Nicholas Center, Nicholas "was born during the third century in the village of Patara. 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 the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships."

There are some wonderful ideas for celebrating St. Nicholas Day HERE. This year, we simply put out our shoes or boots on December 5th. Sometime during the night, St. Nicholas visits the home and fills each shoe or boot with a few gifts. 

In the morning, the girls wake up and they see what St. Nicholas has brought them.

Sophia by her filled shoe.

We enjoyed seeing what each of us received. Olivia was so excited that St. Nicholas brought her clear, sparkly nail polish. However, what was even better: 24 markers - 6 of which are scented! She has been coloring with them quite a bit throughout the day.

We also made peppermint shortbread cookies...well, at least the cookie part. We still need to frost the cookies and sprinkle them with crushed peppermint candies.

We were going to make treats for the cats, dogs, and horses. However, we ran out of time given that we're also homeschooling and had several errands that needed to be done today. So, we will make the treats another day when we have more time.