A MIRACLE INSPIRED BY THE HOPE OF A LITTLE BOY

THE MIRACLE OF ST. NICHOLAS by Gloria Whelan, illustrations by Judith Brown (ages 5 -8).  The first thing that drew me to this book was the pictures, which are painted in egg tempera - a technique traditionally used in the painting (or "writing") of icons - perfect for this uplifting story set in a 20th century Russian village.

The day before Christmas, a Russian Babushka is telling her grandson, Alexi, what Christmas was like in their village when she was a little girl.  With Alexi, we learn a bit of Russian history, as Babushka sadly relates how Communist soldiers closed down the churches in Russia and Christians had to hide their religion.  When Alexi asks why they can't celebrate Christmas there this year, Babushka tells him it would take a miracle.  St. Nicholas, the name of the church in their town, along with all the other places of worship, has been locked and empty for 60 years.

When Alexi goes to the church and finds it unlocked, he decides to clean up the cobwebs and get it ready for worship on Christmas Day. But the altar cloth, candles, cross, the five hundred year old icon of St. Nicholas, and a priest are missing.  The village needs a Christmas miracle!

Christmas day arrives and one by one, the villagers (who, unbeknownst to each other, had hidden various items of the church during the persecutions) begin to bring them back to the church. The biggest surprise is at the end, when the old town "shoemaker" shows up in priestly robes and is revealed to be the town's priest, after years of the villagers keeping his secret.

Because of a first step of faith by a little boy, the Church of St. Nicholas experiences a miracle - showing that governments and time cannot completely suppress faith and hope.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Who was Saint Nicholas?  If you read yesterday's post, you know that people all around the world celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6th.  You can read the beautiful story of his life on  St. Nicholas Center.org, which is a wonderful website that has lots of history, recipes, crafts, and other ideas for celebrating St. Nicholas Day.  You might consider starting some fun family traditions to honor this good Bishop of Myra, who gave gifts and did good works in secret.

Illustrator: Elisabeth Jvanovsky

One story is that Nicholas tossed bags of gold through an open window of a destitute family.  The bags are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left by the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. Kids can put out their own shoes or hang their Christmas stockings, but I found an adorable blog post by one of my favorite author/artists, Carol Baicker-McKee, with her tutorial on how to make paper shoes (or her new boot template) for "St. Nicholas" to fill (traditionally with gold coins, oranges, fresh baked gingerbread cookies, chocolates, or small gifts).

St. Nicholas Day is a perfect reminder that we shouldn't forget the less fortunate during this Holy season of Advent.  Take time with your kids to bring canned goods to a food bank, try to find a day to work at a local soup kitchen, make gingerbread cookies to take to a lonely neighbor or shut-in ...the list is endless.  In keeping with the "shoe" theme, consider a company like Tom's Shoes to buy gifts from this year - with every pair you purchase, Tom's will give a pair to a child in need.



The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi (ages 8 and up)


St. Nicholas:  The Real Story of the Christmas Legend by Julie Stiegemeyer, illustrations by Chris Ellison. (ages 4 and up)


St. Nicholas:  A Closer Look At Christmas by Jim Rosenthal, Joe L. Wheeler.  This is a gorgeous coffee-table type book full of pictures and information about St. Nicholas.  Great for the whole family and a wonderful resource!

I wanted to share this yummy (and easy) dessert that I've made during the Advent Fast for St. Nicholas Day:
GINGERBREAD WITH LEMON SAUCE
2-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 t. ground ginger
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. margarine, softened
3/4 c. water
1/2 c. molasses
Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 9x9x2-inch baking pan.  In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, cloves and salt.  Stir in margarine, water and molasses until well blended.  Pour into pan.  Bake 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out dry.  Cool slightly on wire rack.  Serve warm with Lemon Sauce (see below).  Makes 9-12 servings.

LEMON SAUCE:
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. corn starch
1-1/3 c. water
3 T. margarine
2 t. lemon zest
2 T. lemon juice
In 2-quart saucepan combine sugar and corn starch.  Gradually stir in water until smooth.  Stirring constantly, bring to boil over medium heat and boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat. Stir in margarine, lemon zest and lemon juice until well blended.  Pour into serving bowl; cover with waxed paper or plastic wrap.  Cool slightly.  Serve warm on Gingerbread.  Makes about 2 cups. (can top with Cool Whip)

WILL THE REAL SANTA CLAUS PLEASE STAND UP?

"Every year, Christian parents face a dilemma: what to do about Santa Claus. He's everywhere, that "jolly old elf," hawking tires, toys, and Playboy magazine, sitting in shopping malls taking orders for the latest batteries-not-included whizbang. Although movies about him portray him as someone concerned about the left-out child, his hymnography (think about the words to Santa Claus Is Coming to Town! "You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry...") carries a theology of vengeful justice ...

"A right Jolly Old Elf" by Thomas Nast 

As a matter of fact, this Santa Claus is not associated with Christ. He may be appropriate to affluent Victorian Christmases with huge candle-laden Christmas trees and middle-class American living rooms (with or without chimneys) where a snack awaits near the comfy chair. But in a stable with the Infant Jesus? They're from different worlds.


Another dilemma that parents may find more immediately painful is that every year brings a new decision—whether to maintain the lie of Santa's existence or to tell children the truth, at the risk of imitating that bah-humbugging (and also fictional) Christmas character, Scrooge..."

There is an answer, though: Saint Nicholas, the real Saint Nicholas, a bishop of Myra in Lycea, who died around AD 350." (quotes from an article"Will the real Santa Please Stand?  Inviting St. Nicholas Into Our Christmas", by Daria Gray and Jan Bear.  To read it in its entirety click here.)

Vintage Italian Postcard of St. Nicolaus

Mosaic Icon of St. Nicholas

Tomorrow, December 6th, is St. Nicholas Day and is celebrated all around the Christian world.  Have you ever wondered how the tradition of St. Nicholas and stockings started?  There are several good children's books on the subject, which I'd like to highlight today and tomorrow.  And I'd also like to direct you to a wonderful website that has fun activities that you can do at home with your children for St. Nicholas Day and way more information than I can put in this post!


Santa, Are You For Real? by Harold Myra.  This book was originally published in 1977, illustrated by Dwight Walles.  My father worked for Thomas Nelson Publishers and I remember when he brought it home and we read for the first time about the "real Santa".  It was republished in 1997, this time with illustrations by Jane Kurisu.

Convinced that Santa does not exist, a little boy (Todd) who's been teased by his friends at school, questions his father.   His dad gently relates the story of a young Nicholas, born less than 300 years after Christ,  who did good deeds in secret for the poor and grew up to become the bishop of Myra.  "After he died people called him a saint, because that's what someone is who loves God so much."  
The little boy decides to give gifts to his family and be like St. Nicholas.  I love the ending, which doesn't debunk the tradition of Santa:

"So they all sat around and they talked half the night,

while Todd thought he saw, in the snow and moonlight, 

a bright-eyed St. Nicholas with his sack, looking in, 

and wide 'cross his face, a jolly old grin."

Saint Nicholas web pages for kids.

19th Century Russian Icon

A CHRISTMAS BOOK FROM J.R.R. TOLKIEN

As children, many of us wrote at least one "letter to Santa"; but can you imagine, as a child, receiving an envelope every December with a letter from Santa Claus, addressed to you in spidery handwriting, bearing a stamp from the North Pole, and left in the fireplace hearth, as if it had been delivered down the chimney?

Well, J.R.R. Tolkien's children received such letters every December from 1920 - 1943.  Tolkien, as Father Christmas, wrote the letters, which were accompanied by humorous illustrations (also drawn by Tolkien).

LETTERS FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS is the charming collection of these letters, which also include notes from some of the other inhabitants of the North Pole, such as Ilbereth the Elf and a North Pole Bear.  I wish I had known about this book as a child, or when my own children were young. (You can be sure Father Christmas will drop a copy in their stockings this year! shhh - don't tell.)  

Click HERE to see a slide show, posted by the New York Times, of some of the wonderful drawings from the book.