#553 jolly feast

I was getting a pedicure last weekend and struck up a conversation with the woman next to me.  Somehow we got on the subject of St. Nicholas Day and she said that she is thirty and can't believe that her mother still gives her a St. Nicholas Day treat.  I can believe it -- I am much older than that and my family still celebrates the holiday.

For those of you not familiar with the tradition, allegedly school children left their shoes out for St. Nicholas on his feast day (today).  During the night, St. Nicholas would come by and leave nuts and fruit and maybe a small gift inside the shoes…providing that you were good, of course!  

We celebrated this every year growing up.  Our shoes always received a mixture of nuts-in-the-shell and a tangerine.  I still can't see either in the store without thinking of December 6.

My dad's name was Nick and we belonged to St. Nicholas parish, so maybe there was a special affinity to this particular holiday.  Whether you choose to celebrate this feast, participate in the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon or pick a non-December occasion to commemorate, I hope that you value these small traditions.

In your home life and in your organization, small rituals create continuity and connectedness that strengthen the bonds between people.  Don't overlook them as part of the overall experience you intentionally create.

-- beth triplett
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