Sicorra at Tackling our Debt has brought together over 20 bloggers to share a special post today about our best Christmas childhood memories.
For me, Christmas is only three days away. My father’s family doesn’t celebrate Christmas. Instead, on the 6th of December, we celebrate St Nicholas. He is believed to be the original Santa Claus.
The story says that on a cold winter night, St Nicholas, who was a bishop, was walking home, when he heard the scream of three little boys coming from the butcher shop. Intrigued, he came in and found the three boys in the cellar, they had been cut into pieces by the butcher and left buried in salt, to serve as meat for the customers. St Nicholas, by a miracle, managed to put the children back together and took them home.
He is said to be accompanied by his donkey, and the evil butcher called Père Fouettard who would flog children with a whip if they behave badly. Saint Nicholas brings well behaved children an orange (a rare treat in the European winter) and bad children a piece of charcoal. He is still celebrated in Nordic countries, Belgium, Germany, and the North of France. There are processions with the three protagonists in the streets, and they throw candy at children. You can find more about St Nicholas here. He is the patron and protector of children.
Saint Nicholas, bringing gifts to children.
My favorite memory is putting carrots and swedes by the chimney so the donkey could eat. There was a glass of milk for St Nicholas too. Then we would go play somewhere else, because you don’t want to bother a tired donkey and a busy gift bearing saint.
Then, a bell would ring. That was it! Presents were there!! We came back to the living room to find half eaten carrots and swedes, and a lot of presents. The bishop was represented by Saint Nicholas shaped chocolate, we also got some vegetable shaped marzipan to represent the donkey.
I liked having two Christmas in my childhood, and now realize that it is also very convenient for the our in-laws who do not have to split agenda and try to be everywhere on Christmas day.
As a kid, my grandfather Saint Nicholas would call me a month or so before December 6th and ask if I had been good (of course!) and what present I wanted. Each of my 10 cousins got one present. As we grew older, presents were replaced by experiences. My grandfather would take all of us to a museum, or the opera, and then we would have dinner at a great restaurant. I remember those Christmas present even more fondly now because my grandparents aren’t around anymore, and they left all of us with wonderful memories.
What are your best Christmas memories?
Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies says
Our grandparents would take us to the movies for Christmas with all the grandkids. There were more than a dozen of us who would somehow cram into cars and make it to the movie theater to see a G-rated cartoon, but it was a great memory, and usually one of the only times I got to go to the movie theater as a kid.
Pauline P says
Sounds like a great memory! I love the time shared only with my cousins, without parents. Grandparents aren’t that strict!
Catherine says
I love reading other peoples memories, this one is pretty cool! As an adult do you plan on continuing with Dec 6th and 25th? That story is pretty sad, butchering children? I’d be scared to death as a kid if I heard that!
Pauline P says
We are still doing it now that my grandparents aren’t around and I would love to celebrate it with my kids. It is really convenient too, to have a holiday away from the holidays. I guess my mum had a nice way of telling stories, I don’t remember it being a big scare!
TacklingOurDebt says
My parents are originally from Germany so I know about Saint Nicholas but not the whole story I guess. Some of it sounds quite scary, but at the same time many old wonderful Christmas traditions were built around it. Will you be celebrating this week in your new home?
Pauline P says
I am deep in construction work but will try to make cookies and have a candlelit night evening telling stories with my BF.
Kim@Eyesonthedollar says
When I was a kid, we celebrated on Christmas day with my dad’s side of the family and on New Year’s Day with my mom’s so it was kind of like two holidays. I loved it because you could take your time and not feel like you had to rush off to the next place. No butchered children though! Is that where the idea of Santa Claus came from?
Pauline P says
Apparently St Nicholas is the ancestor of Santa Claus. From what I read on the website I linked to, his life story is different from country to country, and France/Belgium/Germany are the only ones with cruel butchered children stories. Maybe they had to do what it took to make kids behave back then and invented that?
Janine @ My Pennies, My Thought says
That’s so exciting that Christmas is so soon for you! Thank you so much for sharing the original Christmas story!
Pauline P says
Thanks for stopping by Janine!
Shannon @ The Heavy Purse says
What wonderful memories! I love how your grandfather called you to make sure you had been good this year. That’s something you’ll remember and cherish forever.
Pauline P says
Yes, he was pretty awesome to do that to all the grand-kids, year after year.
Corina Ramos says
Wow…I had never heard of this one before. Which is why I’m so glad I participated in this blog party! Thanks for sharing this memory with us. Very interesting…
AverageJoe says
What fabulous memories! I read a book recently outlining many of the Christmas-time nuances in different cultures. It’s really neat to see how people in the world celebrate not only Christmas but the other major holidays this month.
Pauline P says
I wonder what makes traditions so different, if it all originated in the same place. I like to mix the best of several countries I have visited that celebrate Christmas their way.
Amy Turner says
Two or 3 days before Christmas, my two favorite uncles from my Dad’s side would be bringing us gifts- food baskets (with ham, cheese, chocolates, and all sorts of goodies for us kids) and individual gifts for each of us. On Christmas day, we head out to visit Dad’s older brother and have lunch with them. It was like a second home to us-these visits were a treat for us.
Pauline P says
How nice to spread Christmas over several days and several homes!
KK @ Student Debt Survivor says
I love that your grandfather did experiences, not presents when you got older. Now that I’m an adult I really appreciate experiences instead of gifts. This year my grandparents and mom are coming to visit us at our new place. It’s the first time my grandmother will fly and the first time that she’s been to NY. We’re going to see a Broadway show instead of buying them gifts.
Pauline P says
What an awesome memory for the whole family! The younger cousins wanted stuff instead and got to realize how precious those moments are now that the grandparents aren’t around.
Maggie@SquarePennies says
I’d not heard that story about St. Nicholas before. A bit scary. We always celebrated St. Nicholas Day by putting out stockings the night before. In the morning we’d get an orange if we’d been good or sticks and coal if we’d been bad. We took it as a preview of our Christmas on Dec. 25th! Only once did I get coal. We kept the tradition with our children, minus the coal. Thanks for sharing!
Pauline P says
I never got the coal but was surely afraid to get it!
Michelle @ See Debt Run says
Your grandfather is doing it right! Our oldest was born on St. Nicholas Day! That’s actually how he figured out the whole Santa thing. He was confused as to why some people celebrated St. Nick who gave them presents almost 3 weeks early while others just celebrated St. Nick on Christmas and got presents on the 25th. He wondered how St. Nick knew who celebrated what…then he quickly announced that he knew *we* were stuffing those stockings! He’s so smart…ha!
Pauline P says
I hope he kept it a secret! I have a 4 yo half sister and how many times did we almost say something about Santa when she was in the same room… poor kid.
Digital Personal Finance says
Great story! For me, there were a lot of great holiday memories. I think that just the timeless nature of the whole thing, with the same “artificial” tree in the same place in my parents’ living room, with the same oraments….all of that consistency made for a great timeless memory.
Cat Alford says
This is so cool! I love reading about the different traditions and experiences in different countries!
Pauline P says
Thanks for stopping by Cat, glad you liked my story!
Paula says
I have never heard that story nor did I know about the orange tradition, but we always got oranges in our stockings! I just thought my mother wanted us to eat fruit instead of candy!! Great post!
Pauline P says
Thank you Paula! It was for your impeccable behavior!