St. Nicholas Day--December 6

One of my favorite feasts of the year is that of St. Nicholas--the man who would become Santa Claus.  His generosity to the poor and his care for children seems naturally to have morphed into the Santa Claus stories of today.  His is a wonderful, fun, and inspiring story. 

Read the Children's version (great for adults, to) on The Real Santa Claus by Carol Myers by clicking on the title or go here for an adult version.
   
Go here for a St. Nicholas' Day Blessing by Thomas G. Simons as a wonderful addition to your regular advent prayer routine.  .

For online games and activities for kids go here: 

For some really wonderful printable activities for kids go here.

For some really fun crafts to make a St. Nicholas figure, including one from chocolate go here.

Celebrate this wonderful saint who was the figure behind the legend of Santa Claus. 

Feast day:  December 6.

On a more personal note, it is the day we celebrate new life for my oldest son.  He was diagnosed with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes on St. Nicholas day, 2006.  At one time in the not too distant past, it would have been a death sentence.  With the wonders of modern medicine (insulin) and modern medical technology (insulin pump the size of a cell phone) he can live a relatively normal life.  God gave him this cross for a reason we don't know yet, but we celebrate God's gift of life to him and us.

St. Nicholas Day

The Feast of St. Nicholas is December 6th. It is a fun day to celebrate with the family or within your homeschool setting.

We celebrate by putting the kids shoes on the porch. St. Nicholas deposits chocolate coins and a small gift upon each shoe. The kids have a fun time discovering their prizes. We also do some of the activities such as turning chocolate santa into St. Nick. This is one of our favorite days of the Advent season.

Go to the Saint Nicholas Center for all the information and activities you can think of on St. Nicholas. http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23

Enjoy! Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Advent Adventures for Kids

Go to their website at: http://www.holyheroes.com/ and you will get an Advent Adventure every day for FREE. I signed up and already received a link for 3 coloring pages, a crossword, a word search, and a multiple choice quiz--all fun for kids. I can't wait to see what else they come up with for the kids. Happy Advent.

Advent is Coming

Advent is coming too soon, again. It is one of my favorite times of the year. It can be hectic and it can be a lot of fun. I want to share some links for ideas on celebrating advent. These are the sites where I could find FREE stuff to do with your kids at home or in an RE class.

St. Nicholas Center for celebration of St. Nicholas Day, December 6th: http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23

One of my FAVs online, Cathmom.com, has this page of resources: http://www.catholicmom.com/advent.htm

Catholic Home and Garden has tons of ideas for celebrating advent: http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/advent.htm

Catholic Online has this page on Christmas & Advent 2008: http://www.catholic.org/advent/

American Catholic. org has Advent to Epiphany: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Advent/default.asp

Happy Advent.