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Topic: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day

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Hawkinole

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Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« on: December 06, 2018, 01:08:18 AM »
I don't want to know your religious fervor. I'd like to know your culture. Does anyone else, or has anyone else, celebrated St. Nicholas Day, ever? What did, or do you do?

By the way, it is December 6. Happy St. Nicholas Day! Since many of us are Midwesterners, I assume a few of you will be attuned, and the others will think what on earth?

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MarqHusker

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2018, 01:47:50 AM »
I was born in WI (mid 70s), and my parents are not from WI.   They had lived in NE, OK, PA, before moving to WI.  My older brother came home from school one day and was upset about not getting anything for St. Nicholas' day.  My Mom (a K-12 Catholic school girl) was totally caught off guard.   She had no idea what this was.   Indeed, in much of the upper midwest this is a real celebration.   High % of Catholics in WI and of course German immigrants.    So, yes we celebrated it, it was often a modest gift in a stocking.   A sports almanac, some candy stuff like that.  I don't see too much of it around here in Indy.

One year, my younger brother and I were 'bad'  and my older brother put coal in our stockings.   My younger brother and I were crying, we were totally hoodwinked.  My parents got a big laugh.
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Hawkinole

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2018, 02:22:04 AM »
I was born in Iowa City in 1957. Dad had 3-kids before he graduated from the U of Iowa. By age 4 we moved to Dubuque. 

Dubuque was 80% Catholic. We went to Catholic grade school. A few times when I was little, I remember St. Nicholas delivering something in a stocking on Dec. 6. 

Circa 2001, about the time my only child was 6 in Catholic school, I tried to renew this. My German ancestry wife who lived in Western Dubuque County and was more Catholic than me, didn't know St. Nicholas. My dad's family was Luxembourghise, (there are 3-languages in Luxembourg -- my ancestors spoke German) my wife was German seemed not to know about St. Nicholas Day. 

I started the tradition of giving raisins, nuts and chocolates in my daughter's stocking the evening of Dec. 5. She would be surprised on the a.m. of Dec. 6, St. Nicholas Day! I usually left her a holy card or some info on who St Nicholas was.

So, I asked my dad - mom was a convert, her mom was sorta Methodist. Dad recalled his uncle tossing a stocking into the house one year when he was a kid for St. Nicholas but that was all - one year. So, then why did you deliver goodies when we were kids a few years not others? You were in Catholic school and the neighbors were doing it and we didn't want you left out. Most years they didn't remember. I did.

I am 45-miles west of my hometown. I asked another lawyer about St Nicholas here. He is Irish. As he was going to Catholic school St. Nicholas actually appeared on Dec. 6 at his Catholic School. So, yes! I am in a little town of 5,000, and St. Nicholas appeared Dec. 6 over 50-years ago, to the Irish, of all people! He mostly doesn't hang around here anymore.

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MrNubbz

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2018, 06:36:09 AM »
Personally I don't celebrate anything Saban
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Suburbia:Where they tear out the trees & then name streets after them.

betarhoalphadelta

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2018, 09:52:46 AM »
Never heard of it. 

Grew up in Chicago suburbs. Ancestry is mostly Polish and German, but we were protestants (with about a quarter Jewish ancestry mixed in), not Catholic.

So I guess I missed it, just like the rest of the country never got Casimir Pulaski Day off school as a holiday lol
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Brutus Buckeye

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2018, 10:02:24 AM »
Kinda looks like Santa too.

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rolltidefan

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2018, 10:31:16 AM »
Quote from: Brutus Buckeye on December 06, 2018, 10:02:24 AM
Kinda looks like Santa too.

santa gets a lot of it's origin from st nick.
i've never heard of this holiday, though my family has started celebrating st nick in our own way. we don't do the traditional santa stuff with our kids. we play it up some, but they know it's origins, that we do the presents and such.
i think i might read up on this and start incorporating some in into out holiday celebrations. for those that do or did celebrate it, what are some traditions i should consider?
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Brutus Buckeye

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2018, 12:28:04 PM »
Every year I learn of a new Christmas related holiday. Boxing Day, St Lucia's Day, Advent Sunday...

Any other ones that I'm missing?
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SFBadger96

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2018, 01:19:27 PM »
My mom was an Army brat and had spent some time living in Germany. Both parents are Episcopal and while we weren't 100%, we were a church-going family.

I don't think we did it every year, but many years as kids we would leave our dress shoes out by our door the night of the 5th, I think, and in the morning they would have candy in them. At least that's what I recall--it's been a while.

We would have an annual Christmas Eve dinner with my mom's best friend's family. Then Christmas dinner at my grandparents or aunt and uncle's who lived within about an hour's drive.

We also celebrated Boxing Day with my dad's sister's family most years. That gave us a way to get together with them that wasn't on Christmas (when we all had other family obligations).

SFIrish is Catholic (go figure) and we take the kids to the local parish. SFIrish and I don't do anything for St. Nicholas's Day with our kids. We go to church on Christmas eve, then everyone opens one (or two) family-given presents after Mass. The rest--and Santa's--we leave for Christmas morning. Then a family (early) dinner either at our house or another nearby family member's. We try to get together post-Christmas with my cousin's family (daughter of my dad's sister), which kind of keeps alive the Boxing Day thing. For advent Sundays, we just light an advent candle. Same thing we did as kids.

My brother lives in Austria, where Christmas is celebrated basically in its entirety on Christmas Eve (all the stuff we do Christmas day, anyway).
« Last Edit: December 06, 2018, 01:25:46 PM by SFBadger96 »
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rolltidefan

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #9 on: December 06, 2018, 02:28:53 PM »
Quote from: Brutus Buckeye on December 06, 2018, 12:28:04 PM
Every year I learn of a new Christmas related holiday. Boxing Day, St Lucia's Day, Advent Sunday...

Any other ones that I'm missing?
kwanzaa, hanukka, st. stephens day, epiphany/3 kings day, las posados, 12 days of christmas, st john's day, holy innocents day, feast of the baptism of the lord, and of course a festivus for the rest of us
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betarhoalphadelta

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #10 on: December 06, 2018, 02:41:38 PM »
Quote from: rolltidefan on December 06, 2018, 02:28:53 PM
kwanzaa, hanukka, st. stephens day, epiphany/3 kings day, las posados, 12 days of christmas, st john's day, holy innocents day, feast of the baptism of the lord, and of course a festivus for the rest of us
I'm not sure my liver can keep up... :singing:
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MrNubbz

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #11 on: December 06, 2018, 02:45:58 PM »
Quote from: Brutus Buckeye on December 06, 2018, 12:28:04 PM
Every year I learn of a new Christmas related holiday. Boxing Day, St Lucia's Day, Advent Sunday...

Any other ones that I'm missing?
What ever you say don't sincerely wish everyone Happy Holidays.Freaking tempest erupted over well wishes,sheesh
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betarhoalphadelta

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2018, 02:59:47 PM »
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LittlePig

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Re: Completely OT - St. Nicholas Day
« Reply #13 on: December 06, 2018, 03:52:42 PM »
I grew up in a catholic family in Iowa.  

I remember my dad doing some little things for St Nick's day.  Some little presents and maybe a bag of nuts, or oranges, or candy
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