The Amazing Shoes (or the Feast of St. Nicholas)

We checked out a book on St. Nicholas from the library last time we were there, and it contains all kinds of stories and legends about his life! Did you know he was (and still is!) the youngest person ever to be ordained Bishop? And that he had twenty miracles attributed to him during his life? He was a pious, faithful, generous man who truly lived his life by the beatitudes, and is remembered as the patron saint of children.

But the most famous story of the life of St. Nicholas is one that emphasizes his generosity, and has led to traditions around the world of children leaving stockings or shoes to be filled by St. Nicholas.

St. Nicholas had a heart for the poor, and wherever he saw a need he filled it. He heard of a man with three daughters who was too poor to provide dowries for them. Each night for three nights, Nicholas snuck to the house and threw a bag of coins in the window. The last of the bags supposedly landed in the youngest daughter's stocking! With the money, the man was able to find suitable husbands for his daughters and save them from a life of poverty.

So in remembrance of St. Nicholas' great generosity, we left Max's shoes outside of his bedroom door to be filled with sweet surprises. When he woke up in the morning, I was downstairs with Lucian and I heard him say, "What's this??" I went upstairs and he was closely examining his shoes. "There's candy in my shoes! Is there candy in my shoes?" I explained that St. Nicholas had come with treats for him because he loves children so much and loves to see them happy. "St. Nicholas brought candy to me! I got candy of St. Nicholas!" was his cry for the rest of the morning.

Happy St. Nick's Day, everyone!


If you want more information about St. Nicholas, the real "Santa Claus", check out this link.