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kjohnson
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A mom in our Catholic homeschool group emailed this link today. It looks like it's full of great ideas for the celebration of the feast of St. Nicholas.
St. Nicholas Center
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In Christ,
Katherine
Wife to Doug and Mother of 6
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Dawn
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Katherine, thank you for this link!  We just chose St. Nicholas as my youngest son's patron (he was born in December) and I'd like to make a big deal of his feast day this year!
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys 
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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marihalojen
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Katherine, thanks! We have always made a big deal out of St. Nicholas' Feast Day and even more so since we moved aboard.
Nicholas, Saint of Sailors,
Children of the sea,
When their sails are torn by gales
Close at hand is he.
The wind in the rigging
Hears the sailors cry:
"Save us here, old Nicholas!
Save us there, good Nicholas!
Saint of Sailors,
Bring us safe
Home, high and dry!"
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The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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Kelly
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Thank you for that poem, Jennifer. I'm always looking for good "saint" poems to utilize (ie combine poetry, copywork, memory work and religion  ) We love St. Nicholas in this household, too. Besides having a ds Nicholas, we also have a Dutch mother-in-law. I know I've written about this before, but the Dutch do love St. Nicholas, even if they've often forgotten his religious origin. Anyway, we celebrate St. Nicholas' Feast Day in a big way.
A few years ago, someone on this board (can't remember who  ) suggested having a Speculaas baking day for St. Nicholas a week or so before the feast day...that way it doesn't creep up on you and surprise you! Great idea. We ordered the cookie cutters from St. Nicholas Center that Katherine mentioned, as well as St. Nicholas napkins, and started the tradition of inviting a clutch of little friends over to bake and decorate the cookies. We play Advent music, decorate the house with purple lights, purple table cloths, have our Advent wreath prominently displayed. One of my dc writes up a mini report on St. Nicholas, which we print up (on purple paper...), as well as the Speculaas recipe and a description of the religious meaning of St. Nicholas's feast day. All this we place in..you guessed it: purple bags (dollar store), and add a plastic baggie with the cookies the kids make---tbese are handed out to the guests as they leave. This tradition has proven to be so much fun, and it really helps prepare us for the feast day, as well as reemphasizing the meaning of Advent. It also gives us a chance to explain to our non-Catholic friends all about St. Nicholas. Oh, and the St. Nicholas Center very kindly sends lovely St. Nicholas book marks with each order that we also put in the purple guest bags-along with a saint card. Prime evangelical moment!
On the eve of St. Nicholas feast day, the good saint always visits our house in the flesh. I've been putting together a costume and props for years-we've come a long way from our first St. Nicholas---our building contractor (name witheld to protect the innocent )clad in a choir robe and cardboard mitre---to our currently very convincing costume, which even includes a lantern and a bishop's crozier. We've shanghaied many a fellow to act as St. Nicholas over the years. Ironically, our best St. Nicholas yet was our next door neighbor-a Lutheran pastor. He enjoyed the role so much, he borrowed the costume and gave a sermon at his church while dressed as St. Nicholas! (He even wore sandals in the snow...we were living in Virginia back then!)
St. Nicholas always arrives with Grampus lurking around in the background. Last year Grampus (my brother) just about scared us to death when he appeared, lit up, in the window where we were all pressing our noses looking for St. Nicholas. Grampus represents all that is bad-all that we want to keep OUT of our lives and our homes! Anyway, once St. Nicholas comes in, things are always much more peaceful  He has a book listing some main sins of the year for each person-very embarrassing-he discusses these with each penitent, then blesses him or her, and finally gives a present to each person (or an onion if they've been very bad!). At the end, the children sing a song in Dutch and German to the Saint, he gives his household blessing,reminds us to honor Advent and its meaning and off he trots. It is a great, exciting day for us all. We cap it off with hot chocolate for the children and Gluhwein, a hot mulled wine, for the adults---as well as those wonderful Speculaas cookies we've all been yearning to eat.
It really is a special feast day, and the St. Nicholas Center has so many neat things to help get your feast day celebration off the ground. BTW those cookie cutters are really great
Kelly in FL
Kelly in FL
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St. Ann
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Wow Kelly! That sounds so wonderful. Because there are so many St. Nikolaus festivities here in Kindergarten and school, I rarely do much extras here at home. Of course we read legends and a biography of him, but those creative activities, which the children remember the most, are done either well or poorly in the schools.
You ladies are an inspiration.
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Jeanna
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What fun ideas! Thanks for the website!
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JennGM
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Kelly wrote:
| A few years ago, someone on this board (can't remember who ) suggested having a Speculaas baking day for St. Nicholas a week or so before the feast day...that way it doesn't creep up on you and surprise you! Great idea. We ordered the cookie cutters from St. Nicholas Center that Katherine mentioned, as well as St. Nicholas napkins, and started the tradition of inviting a clutch of little friends over to bake and decorate the cookies. We play Advent music, decorate the house with purple lights, purple table cloths, have our Advent wreath prominently displayed. One of my dc writes up a mini report on St. Nicholas, which we print up (on purple paper...), as well as the Speculaas recipe and a description of the religious meaning of St. Nicholas's feast day. All this we place in..you guessed it: purple bags (dollar store), and add a plastic baggie with the cookies the kids make---tbese are handed out to the guests as they leave. This tradition has proven to be so much fun, and it really helps prepare us for the feast day, as well as reemphasizing the meaning of Advent. It also gives us a chance to explain to our non-Catholic friends all about St. Nicholas. Oh, and the St. Nicholas Center very kindly sends lovely St. Nicholas book marks with each order that we also put in the purple guest bags-along with a saint card. Prime evangelical moment! |
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That was me, as our family does that. Those cookies are so scruptious. My big goal this year is to try and adapt to fit my son's allergy needs.
There are several threads here on St. Nicholas. My computer connection is giving me fits, or I'd link them in this thread. The cookie making party has been such a great tradition in our family, and now extended family...but even when I was in college it was a great fun... One year I was blessed to find St. Nicholas statues at the Dollar Store to use as party favors. Wish I could find that again!
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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SuzanneG
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I'm looking for a St. Nicholas song for small children (ages 3-7) that would be easy to learn that focuses on St. Nicholas from a "saint-aspect". There are many great songs listed on the St. Nicholas Website but there isn't MUSIC to it. Like there is here, for example, for St. Lucia Day. Does anyone know of anything like this for St. Nicholas Day?
We love the "midi music"....whatever THAT means...it's a good way to learn songs without spending a ton of money on a CD that you're not sure has what you're looking for.
Suzanne in WA
mom to 4 girls - ages 5,4,3,8 months
Gladdest Hours
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JennGM
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suzgallus wrote:
I'm looking for a St. Nicholas song for small children (ages 3-7) that would be easy to learn that focuses on St. Nicholas from a "saint-aspect". There are many great songs listed on the St. Nicholas Website but there isn't MUSIC to it. Like there is here, for example, for St. Lucia Day. Does anyone know of anything like this for St. Nicholas Day?
We love the "midi music"....whatever THAT means...it's a good way to learn songs without spending a ton of money on a CD that you're not sure has what you're looking for. |
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Suzanne, It is a dilemma. We never had St. Nicholas music per se, but it's a great suggestion, that maybe I'll implement in our party, too.
I like the replacement words for "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" on this page. Here's one midi and another piano version.
I found some German tunes on this page which has sheet music you can print out. But you probably want English versions.
I would take St. Nicholas Center's list of songs and search on Google with a title in quotations and midi to pull up links. Even if you can't read foreign phrases (I can't) you can recognize enough to find the link to listen to a midi. I found a few this way. You can also do the same with mp3 and pull up a few.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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SuzanneG
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Thanks Jenn. That helps....to know what I am actually searching FOR on google.
Otherwise, maybe the Jolly ol st nicholas would be fine, because kids know the melody already.
Suzanne in WA
mom to 4 girls - 5,4,3,8 months
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JennGM
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I would like to give gold coins in the shoes this year and as party favors, but I'm looking for something other than milk chocolate. Anyone know of a dark chocolate, without milk coins? Any other kind of coins?
I saw these gold coins with icon and it says they are bubblegum, but that's not exactly going to work, either, though I like the idea.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Elizabeth
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Click here and here for older St. Nicholas threads.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JennGM
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suzgallus wrote:
Thanks Jenn. That helps....to know what I am actually searching FOR on google.
Otherwise, maybe the Jolly ol st nicholas would be fine, because kids know the melody already. |
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Here's another one: Midi file to Regent Square (Angels from the Realms of Glory) and these words. The tune is in the high range.
If you have a musician, the carols "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" and this one are simple to play, and find a key that you're comfortable singing.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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KASB
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I'm not sure if this will help, Jenn, but I saw dark chocolate coins here -
http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/Products.aspx?pn_dept id=507
Blessings,
Kym
mom to 9 (8 boys-24,14,10,9,7,4,3,15 mos. and 1 girl-22)
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JennGM
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It's perfect, but am I reading that correctly? $10 per bag? Yikes!
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Victoria in AZ
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suzgallus wrote:
I'm looking for a St. Nicholas song for small children (ages 3-7) that would be easy to learn that focuses on St. Nicholas from a "saint-aspect".
Suzanne in WA
mom to 4 girls - ages 5,4,3,8 months
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This tune is easy enough for small children to learn and does focus on St. Nicholas as a saint.
Plays the tune :o)
http://www.iarelative.com/xmas/okto.htm
Here are all the verses:
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!*
He who dwells in God's holy mansions,
Is our help on the land and oceans,
He will guard us from all ills,
Keep us pure and free from sins
Holy Father Nicholas!*
Holy Saint, hearken to our prayer,
Let not life drive us to despair,
All our efforts shall not wane,
Singing praises to your name:
Holy Father Nicholas!*
O kto kto Nikolaja l'ubit,
O kto kto Nikolaja sluzit,
Tomu svjatyj Nikolaj,
Na vsjakj cas pomahaj:
Nikolaj, Nikolaj!*
*Repeat the three lines of the refrain.
Text: Traditional Slavic
Tune: TRADITIONAL
from http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=247
http://www.patronagechurch.com/chant/Hymns/O%20kto,%20kto.ht m
Link above contains all of the verses in English, as well as the tune I'm most familiar with. This link has a midi file. In order to get this worthwhile link to work, after you cut and paste, delete the space before that last "m."
http://www.saintmichaels.info/music/pdfs/C-O-Kto-Kto-Nikolaj a.pdf
HTH
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Victoria in AZ
dh Mike 24 yrs; ds Kyle 18; dd Katie 12; and one funny pug
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Kelly
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We usually sing the Dutch song "Sinter Klaus Kapoentje" (sp?) which is available on the St. Nicholas Center website and is easy, but it really has little religious significance (I just don't tell my dc!). For the religious side of things, we typically sing something Adventy, like "Veni veni Emmanuel" or in German, "Maria walks amid the thorns" ("Maria durch ein dornwald ging"). Advent music is tough enough to find, St. Nicholas music, per se, is well nigh impossible! There is a cd by the Anonymous 4 called "Legends of St. Nicholaus" which is beautiful background music, but not very singable for little people. 
One year we had our piano teacher, a very nice Bulgarian fellow, come over to the house to play Advent music. I gave him xeroxes of all the Advent music from the hymnal which he then played for us, improvising. That was lovely.
Jenn, why am I not surprised it was YOU with the great cooking baking idea.  Thank you. It has become a real institution in our family!
Kelly in FL
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Victoria in AZ
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Kelly wrote:
Advent music is tough enough to find, St. Nicholas music, per se, is well nigh impossible! There is a cd by the Anonymous 4 called "Legends of St. Nicholaus" which is beautiful background music, but not very singable for little people.
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See my links above, Kelly. This tune is very singable for little people. Once we start singing it for the season, we can't get it out of our heads
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Victoria in AZ
dh Mike 24 yrs; ds Kyle 18; dd Katie 12; and one funny pug
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SuzanneG
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Thanks Victoria! That's exactly what I was looking for. Easy, catchy, "saintly"!
Here is the link:
Hymn to St. Nicholas
scroll down to "Hymn for St. Nicholas" under the Christmas Section.
And, here's the other one that Victoria referenced:
Patronage Church - Ode to St. Nicholas
Suzanne in WA
mom to 4 girls - 5,4,3,8 months
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humanaevitae
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I like the idea on the St. Nick site about pasting a picture of St. Nicholas on one of those inexpensive plastic snowflakes and then dressing it up with glitter.
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=630
I think we will do this with all the Advent/Christmas saints. They will be perfect to hang on our windows as we are running out of wall space that the toddler can't reach!
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Topic: St. Nicholas--Feast Day Ideas
