ST NICHOLAS DAY: JAMES' FAMILY HOW TO- PART TWO

St Nicholas Day Breakfast

Generally the children wake up early from the excitement. It’s amazing how little “out of the ordinary” celebration it takes to get the kids anticipation going. But there’s another reason for the early rising. We’re going to eat a large breakfast together. This might require that we pass on the school bus this morning.

Southerners know how to do breakfast, and it’s the sort of culinary offering that will kill you. Anything less is hardly worthy of a Saint’s memory. Biscuits, bacon, gravy…

I would love to have a statue of the bishop to serve as a centerpiece for the table. Occasionally I see figures of St. Nicholas that include clerical items- crosier, mitre, etc. Here’s an example that I’ve had my eye on for a while. Something like this would be great as a focal point. We have a special Christmas table setting. This morning it will make its first appearance since the end of last year’s Christmas season.

The point is to make the meal special. Every home has unique items to bring into play. In our case, simply eating a large breakfast together on a school morning makes the occasion stand out.

The one breakfast item that seems out of place (in our home, at least) is a bowl of clementines or oranges. These are blessed and distributed with the following prayer- this is a great way to send the family out into the world with a tangible memorial in hand:

Loving God, you ask us to show kindness and care to everyone. Thank you for good Saint Nicholas who shows us how to give gifts and care to others, especially children.

Bless these oranges that they may remind us of Saint Nicholas' gifts to people in need. Help us to love and care, like Saint Nicholas, for those who need helpand children everywhere.

Amen

Including our God in these times is natural. Talking to him and asking his participation is the least we would do for any guest. A thanksgiving for Nicholas is usually included in the blessing of the food. Here are a number of examples.

Nothing fancy or undoable here. Just an intentional time of good food.

Telling the Story of Nicholas

This portion of our tradition is the most variable. Now that the children have heard the story for a while, it’s easy to ask for them to take turns telling their favorite bits. Asking about the origin of the various symbols is another good way of doing this.

The St. Nicholas Center provides some exceptional story resources. This method might be great with younger children after the meal is finished. In fact, I might give it a try this year.

We’re not talking about prepping for an exam. This ought to be light and fun. Year after year of celebration will reinforce the fact that Nicholas is our children’s brother.