Tropical Zone Gardening: It's the season to be jolly... so there's no... without..., 1 by goofybulb

goofybulb wrote:
I'll go back a few days... On December 6th, the Church celebrates St. Nicholas. While he may be an important saint, I will not talk about this. Kids around the country don't know it... They only know that, if they were good, in the eve of that day (somewhere during the night of 5th to 6th of December), they will find presents in their shoes. They are brought by "Old Man Nicholas" (and "Old Man" is talked about fondly!).

The preparations and waiting for him start even earlier. A letter is written for him some time in advance (about a week is good), either by the kid, or by the parents if the child doesn't know how to write yet... Usually the letter tells the good Saint Nicholas that the kid was good, well-behaved, and then a wish list follows. The letter is not sent by post, but it is placed in the window. Kids believe that during the winter days, Old Man Nicholas looks through the window, and sees if they were true in the letter. One evening, the letter disappears, as it is taken by him...

The evening of December 5th, before going to bed, kids clean and polish their shoes, as that's the cue for Saint Nicholas to drop his presents, and place them either by the door of their room, or even inside (hoping for a chance to catch the Old Man in action!). The morning of December 6th feels like vacation, or like a Sunday, no matter what day of the week it falls. The little presents are there (in, or more frequently next to the shoes), and happy children excitedly spread them on the floors, laughing.

Let me tell you, we were some extraordinary good kids, my sister and I, and maybe that's why the Old Man Nicholas kept coming every year until we went for University studies (even if we stopped writing him letters when I was about 8 years old...). But we never caught him in action!!!

Nobody knows how Old Saint Nicholas looks, as he only delivers the presents while you're asleep. While you may see some similarities with Santa Claus, when time comes, I'll introduce the Romanian Santa Claus (called Old Man Christmas), and you'll see they are two different persons.

Winter time is a good time for us to remember the good old days of our childhood. That's why... it cannot be winter and the Holiday season without... children stories (fairy tales)!

(holiday time in Naples, FL)