St. Nicholas Day is Almost Here!

I cannot believe that we are already halfway through the Nativity fast! Which means St. Nicholas Day is right around the corner!This year on the eve of St. Nicholas, we will attend Vespers, come home and put our shoes out and then snuggle up to read some of our favorite books about St. Nicholas which include, The Miracle of St. Nicholas, The Life of St. Nicholas the Wonder-Worker (St. Nectarios Press), and The Storm and the Sea: A Story about the life of St. Nicholas (St. Ignatius of Antioch Press).Then on St. Nicholas Day we will wake up to see what goodies he has left and then attend Divine Liturgy. Afterwards we will attend a party to celebrate the nameday of all the Nicholas' in our spiritual family, which includes DH. :)Here are some of my favorite posts/ideas about St. Nicholas Day:St. Nicholas Day Traditions--in our homeClose to Home Podcast--The Real St. NickSt. Nicholas Cookies (those shown below and more) These are found at stnicholas.org and there is a lot of great information there. It is not an Orthodox site so many of the coloring pages, etc feature St. Nicholas dressed in Catholic vestments, etc. but there are still plenty of resources for Orthodox Christians too. You just have to sift through the site and use your discretion. 

The following is a Carpatho-Russian hymn to St. Nicholas, often sung by children. To hear the melody, click on the Close to Home link above. Molly and her son Elijah sing it at the end of the podcast.

O who loves Nicholas the saintly? O who serves Nicholas the saintly? Him will Nicholas receive and give help in time of need, Holy Father Nicholas!O who dwells in God's holy mansions, is our help on land and oceans? He will guard us from all ills, keep us pure and free form sins, Holy Father Nicholas!Holy Saint, hearken to our prayers, let not life drive us to despair. All our efforts shall not wane, singing praises to thy name, Holy Father Nicholas!

Many prayers to all of you for a happy and blessed St. Nicholas Day!