On December 6th the church remembers St. Nicholas Bishop of Myra. There is so much legend in the story of who St. Nicholas was. But the only thing we know for sure is that he was a Bishop of the city of Myra. And I’m ok with that. I’m sure there must be many reasons for his fame and for the stories that have risen about him through time. He must have been generous and a good pastor.
But there’s not evidence that he paid dowries for young girls. There’s not actually much evidence that he was at the Council of Nicea and slapped Arius for heresy and I don’t need those to be real about his story to commemorate him.
The fact is that the Church honors the men God has put into the office of pastor, men who are willing to faithfully teach and confess God’s truth even in the face of persecution in a World hostile to Him. That’s enough for me
So we have fun on this day with the traditions and tales that surround the rememberance of St. Nicholas of Myra. I teach my babies to honor him as a man of God and fellow Christian.
And I might go a little overboard with the goodies.
On this day I begin to put a few decorations around the house for Advent. There’s just something about greenery and oranges that has become St. Nicholas day for me. It’s the perfect mix of Advent and Christmas so I deck our door with those and tack on something purple to keep mindful that we are still in Advent, waiting.
