Feast of St. Nicholas December 6
“Almighty God, in your love you gave your servant Nicholas of Myra a perpetual name for deeds of kindness both on land and sea: Grant, we pray, that your Church may never cease to work for the happiness of children, the safety of sailors, the relief of the poor, and the help of those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”— Lesser Feasts and Fasts (Church Publishing, 2006), p. 97.
If you have been reading this blog for several years, you have probably heard about St. Nikolas on this his feast day on the sixth of December. I apologize right now, because you will hear about him again. I am powerless when it comes to St. Nikolas. He has just been a too important figure in our lives. You might say that in December, we developed an addiction to St. Nikolas!
We know very little of the life of Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, who lived in Asia Minor around 342. He is the patron of seafarers, sailors, and, more significantly, children. As a bearer of gifts to children, Dutch colonists in New York brought him to America, where soon he became known as Santa Claus.
When our grandchildren were young, we celebrated the feast day of St. Nicholas as a major holiday. First, we had a big family meal together. My husband dressed up as Bishop Nicholas with a beard, a miter, crozier, and long red stole, and came to visit our grandchildren after dinner. He spoke Greek to the children and the adults. Speaking Greek is my husband’s favorite pastime, and of course, you know Nikolas was Greek. Nike, the Greek! Then our grandchildren went into the bedrooms and left their shoes outside the doors, and Bishop Nicholas left chocolate coins and presents in their shoes. I won’t bore you with our pictures of this family event, but they are stunning.
Why am I sharing with you our family story? I remember so many years on this feast day as I would sit and watch this pageant. I am still filled with tremendous gratitude, as my recovery date is close to the feast day of St. Nicholas. Each year, I know that if someone had not led me to a recovery program, I would never have been alive for these special events. I would not have witnessed this wonderful blessing of watching our children and grandchildren giggle with glee as they try to respond to a beautiful old man with a fake beard speaking Greek and secretly giving them candy in their shoes. So, it is a yearly reminder to continue working a program of recovery, so I can remember another feast day of St. Nicholas.
This is a suggestion. Look at the calendar of saints. Find one close to a date where some significant change took place in your life. Learn about that saint. Observe that saint’s day in your home, in your life. You may even consider that saint your patron saint. This is just one more way to remember how the God of love has transformed our lives. Spend that saint’s day giving thanks for those before you who loved you before you were born with a passion that only comes from the God of our understanding.
St. Nikolas will make an appearance Sunday night at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Little Rock, at the Christingle Service at 5 pm on December 19.
Joanna joannaseibert.com
