The Children's Saint

Dec. 5, 2007

St. Nicholas Verse

Upon his snow white steed
With wind and lightning speed
St. Nicholas leaves the sky
And comes a-riding by

The little hare hops nigh
And lifts his nose up high
The stag with pointing horn
Leaps over bush and thorn

And all the creatures dear
Are drawing quickly near
Before St. Nicholas bow
Their little heads so low

And we will learn a tune
Of sun and star and moon
And sing our happy lay
Sing on St. Nicholas Day
--Traditional German

Aah, we are truly counting down now! The feast of St. Nicholas, that generous bishop, is tomorrow. We are celebrating that for the first time this year. That verse and many other stories, coloring pages and games can be found at htt://www.stnicholascenter.org.
This is the year that my oldest, 8, discovered the truth about Santa Claus, that Santa's helpers do more than help. So I am emphasizing the origin of Santa's story and the real saint for her sake.
We are putting the kids' shoes by the hearth (with carrots for the saint's donkey) waiting to be filled with candy canes and tangerines (left over from Thanksgiving). And our assignment is to think of something kind to do for someone else but it must be done in secret. That is the hard part.
It snowed here for the first time today - big, fluffy flurries that thrilled the kids and the dog. But Joey is still recovering from his stomach bug so he was not allowed to play out.
My sister has a foot of snow in Wisconsin and is preparing for thyroid surgery on Friday. I'm praying with St. Blase for her complete recovery.
Thank goodness for the communion of saints, and for the quiet beauty of Advent.