Celebrating Saint Nicholas Day!

Over the years I have tried to teach my children about who Saint Nicholas was, why he was such a wonderful person and how the stories of Saint Nicholas ~ a real person ~ evolved into the Santa Claus that many know today. You can read more about the history of this man on this website, the Saint Nicholas Center.

{I’m fairly certain I found the ABOVE cotton ball Saint Nicholas at the Saint Nicholas Center, but I cannot find it today. Please let me know if you can find the original link for this idea!}

Here are some things I’ve done with my kids over the years to learn more about this giving man.

Let’s Give Like Saint Nick

We love to choose a gift from the Compassion Gift Catalog as we learn about Saint Nicholas. I think Nicholas would love Compassion. 🙂 Sponsoring a child would certainly be something he would do! We have been overjoyed to see our sponsored child receive our Christmas gifts (they usually send a picture later.) And to anonymously bless another family through the gift catalog is exactly what Saint Nick would have done!

Crafts & Fun Activities

This year I had my children create their own version of Saint Nicholas out of Legos! Only 2 were deemed photo-worthy by my children. 🙂

A few more favorites: How to Draw Saint Nicholas, Saint Nicholas Origami, Printable pages/activities 

I also have several Saint Nicholas crafts on my Christmas pinterest board!

 

We also made these super cute Saint Nicholas cookies one year…I searched the web and found TONS of blogs featuring these cookies but was unable to find the original source. If you have an original source for these, please let me know and I will add it to this post!

Saint Nicholas Books & More

• Santa, Are You For Real?
• The Legend of St. Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving
• The Legend of Saint Nicholas
• ST. NICHOLAS: A STORY OF JOYFUL GIVING (Veggie Tales DVD about Saint Nicholas)
• The Baker’s Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale (15th Anniversary Edition, with Bonus Cookie Recipe and Pattern for St. Nicholas Christmas Cookies)
• Playmobil Saint Nicholas and Angel
• Saint Nicholas Center is a great resource – coloring pages, activities, recipes, etc.

Whatever you decide to do with your children, I think teaching our children about the real Nicholas is a fabulous thing to do!!