One week from today we'll celebrate the feast day of St. Nicholas. On this day, my own family wakes up to stockings filled with nuts, chocolates and small toys, trinkets or in the case of this year: battery operated toothbrushes! The joy! We do this on the 6th of December in keeping with the tradition of who St. Nick was and the legends that surround his name. Unlike many Christian parents I know, I'm 100% at ease with the place of St. Nick in our holiday celebrations. Forget the Easter Bunny, he makes no sense whatsoever... and the kids have ALWAYS known it's us and not some random "tooth fairy" who places money under the pillow upon losing a tooth. You think we'd bypass the pillow tradition for efficiency's sake but there's something deflating about Junior presenting you with a bicuspid and demanding: "Pay up!" No thank you.
But we do foster a healthy and appreciable devotion to good St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children. And I don't think Santa Clause detracts a bit from the Christ Child on Christmas Day if he's given his proper place. There is a book to help you if you're wondering what that place is: A Special Place for Santa: A Legend for Our Time. This book sort of tells the story behind that darling ornament of Christ kneeling before the Infant. It reconciles who Santa is and who St. Nick is and what his place is for Christmas. The illustrations aren't my favorite... I'm allergic to anything that looks like a Saturday morning cartoon... but the text makes this book a good one for parents who don't know how to explain St. Nick to their kids.
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