We have a tradition in Germany where St. Nicholas (St. Nikolaus in German) brings small gifts or sweets to the nice children on the night of the December the fifth to the sixth. If you were naughty, you’d find a piece of coal in your shoe or boot.
So you can imagine us kids being busy polishing our boots to put one on the windowsill in hopes to find something good inside in the morning. I can still remember the excitement although it's been decades ago.
Later when we immigrated to Canada and had a family, my husband changed the German tradition from small gifts or sweets to “an Advent
Calendar type Candy House”, where our kids were allowed to brake a candy or two off every day counting up to Christmas.
We also continued making a candy house for years when we had our first two grandchildren. When they were a little bit older, they enjoyed helping us sort the candies and glue them on to the double sided wafer sheets of the candy house.
All of us had so much fun.
Here you see Britney and her little brother Grant.
Britney is married and a mom of two children and Grant is engaged to a lovely young woman.
What a lovely photo and story.
St. Nicolas traditions in Germany and in the Netherlands are about the same, but the Dutch naughty children found a tiny bag filled with salt in their shoes or boots.
In former day`s (my childhood) his helper : Zwarte Piet, put you in a bag if you have n`t behave, and take you to a prison in Spain. This black helper is now very controversy as a symbole of the slavery past. Sweet pic.
My goodness- time flies doesn't it? I thought these were Britney's children! We had Advent Calendars when I grew up too- but they were paper and you opened little doors, one for each day before Christmas, and there were little pictures or Scriptures inside. I used to send them to all my grandchildren but they've become hard to find around here. Sweet shot.
(oh, and yes, I agree with you about the trees- what's holding me back is the thought of not being able to smell it.)
Beautiful shot to remember days gone by. Until last year I was Santa Claus of the family and on the night of Christmas, after attending mass my two children came with us to my house for a Christmas party. I used to slip to the garage, change into Santa outfit and distribute presents to my two grandkids. I have packed a few times stones instead of presents and enjoyed watching their disappointed faces before i gave them real presents. The get together will continue but I have now thrown away Santa's outfit.
St. Nicolas traditions in Germany and in the Netherlands are about the same, but the Dutch naughty children found a tiny bag filled with salt in their shoes or boots.
(oh, and yes, I agree with you about the trees- what's holding me back is the thought of not being able to smell it.)