Getting into the Saint Nicholas Groove

Even though it kind of crept up on me this year, Saint Nicholas Day is really pulling to the front of my favorite holidays. We were still coming out of Thanksgiving recovery mode when Thursday popped up on us.  I had been slowly stocking up on things to stuff our St. Nicholas bags with, but I still had to make a last-minute trip to the store to drag home several bags of fruit.  I never realized how heavy produce was when I actually had a car, but when you're gifting everyone in your building with produce, well, it becomes much more apparent.

Putting those kids to work

Whining aside, the girls kind of know the Saint Nicholas schtick by now; I don't know if Bailey actually remembered this tradition from last year, but she went along with it like a kid who knows the ropes. After bringing in our final haul of fruit, we dragged all of our supplies into the living room and began packing our gift bags.  This is something that naturally appeals to kids, I've found.  They're constantly trying to disperse the contents of their play kitchen to every human and stuffed animal in the house, so being able to do this for real is kind of a dream.  We made up fifteen bags this year full of fruit, nuts and chocolates, talking all the while about the game plan and how we thought our neighbors might feel when they walked out their door to discover a gift waiting for them.

Most years, I try to make some kind of comfort food before we head out to deliver our packages, but this year, I was more in the mood to let someone else do the cooking.  We ended up at place so close I was surprised we couldn't access our wifi signal from the restaurant.  Changs is an awesome Asian restaurant (take all your ideas about Chinese foods dunked in weird gravy or fried green beans
and throw them right out the window) where we whiled away the time, ate some fantastic food, and just enjoyed being together.

A little practice at being sneaky

When we returned home with full, happy bellies I told the girls we were shaking things up a bit this year and let them open their Christmas pajamas early (these are usually in their stockings)...and it's a good thing we did it early, because while I thought I was proactively ordering a size up, it ended up being more like an extra six inches of fabric on the pant legs of their jammies.  There was a lot of laughter and even more dancing as I whisked out my sewing kit to hem some pants...while Bailey announced it was time to listen to a little Gangnam Style.

We were pumped, riding on a high as the girls donned their slippers and we headed out into the hall.  Our building has twelve other apartments, which might not seem like a lot, but when you're name is Bailey and you're trying really hard to keep the excitement contained to a whisper...well...it's a lot.  Most years there has been a bit of confusion about this part of the process--leaving gifts on people's doormats and then just walking away--but the girls totally got it; they were a streamlined team, grabbing bags, dropping them off and moving on to the next.  It was just a lot of fun and there was a certain sense of accomplishment at being successful in our sneakery once we had returned successfully home.

Shhh!  We're ready to go!

As tradition dictates, this was the part where we made hot chocolate and read a book about Saint Nicholas.  We talked about why we give to others and how Jesus was the gift that God gave to us.  I'm hoping that this whole message might sink in by the time they leave for college...I'm also hoping we will have upgraded from the Veggie Tales version of the story by then too.

Yeah, those are actually filled mostly with fruit and nuts...

Either way, it was a really great evening and the girls were filled with excitement, which is what matters.  We were together as a family, trying to show others a little love.
Before they went to sleep, A & B left their stockings out so Saint Nicholas would know where they were.  In truth, I'm still a little fuzzy about whether Audrey really believes in Santa or not.  She's been told in no uncertain terms that the guy doesn't exist and that parents organize the whole shebang (in response to a fit of anxiety at having a strange man enter the house while she was sleeping), but there's a big part of Audrey that exists in the land of make-believe.  I think she found the idea of pretending together a lot more appealing, so that's how we roll.  Meanwhile, Bailey could care less who orchestrates what; she's just thrilled to be living the good life.

Saint Nicholas Day morning!

Saint Nicholas Day morning is always special...obviously...It's a little slice of Christmas cheer, but by the time we get around to it, it doesn't even seem like the main focus anymore.  As we open our stockings, we ask each other whether they think the neighbors have found their presents too and if they'll feel as excited as we are--if they feel happy and loved. This year I actually made sure John and I had some stuff waiting in our stockings too, having come to the realization that it's easy to make the holidays all about the kids and leave the grown ups hanging out to dry.  I think I need to remember more often that our girls find genuine joy in seeing others given the same treatment they receive, letting everyone share in the joy of receiving a gift instead of sitting back as spectators in a kid's holiday.  After all, that's kind of what Saint Nicholas Day and the entire Christmas season is about; everybody receives the gift.  Tidings of comfort and joy, my friends!