Long before Santa Claus, there was Saint Nicholas, a kind bishop who gave to people in need and asked for nothing back. His feast day is December 6. Here are simple ways to celebrate it with little ones, at home, in class or in your parish.
Nicholas lived more than 1,600 years ago in Myra, a town by the sea in what is now Turkey, where he became the bishop. The story told about him for centuries is of a poor father with three daughters, and bags of gold tossed through their window at night by someone who never waited to be thanked.
Our picture book tells his story gently for children aged 4 to 9, and ends with a simple prayer and three small ways to give like Saint Nicholas this week. See the book.
In many European countries, and in many Catholic homes in America, children set their shoes by the door on the evening of December 5. In the morning they find a small treat inside: chocolate coins for the bags of gold, a clementine or orange, or a little note.
Keep it small. The point isn't the treat but the story behind it: someone who loved them enough to give quietly, as Nicholas did.
Saint Nicholas gave without expecting anything in return. Ask each person in the family to do one kind thing that day for someone else, and not to say who did it. At dinner, talk about how it felt to give.
With your child, choose something of their own to give away: a toy in good condition, a book, or warm clothes. Or buy a gift together for a giving tree at your parish. Children understand Nicholas best when they get to give, not only receive.
Help your child leave a little surprise for someone in the family to find: a note under a pillow, a drawing on the breakfast table, or a treat in a shoe. It's the third challenge at the end of the book, and children love being the one who gives.
End the day with the prayer from the book:
Dear God, thank you for all the good things you have given me. Help me to share them gladly, and without expecting anything in return, the way Saint Nicholas did, always giving from a heart full of love. Amen.
For a printable page with this prayer and the three challenges, with tick boxes for the week, download our free Be a Little Saint pages (PDF, opens in a new tab). The Saint Nicholas page is the fifth page.
The name Santa Claus comes from Sinterklaas, the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas. Telling children about the real Nicholas doesn't spoil Christmas. It gives the gifts a deeper meaning: Nicholas gave out of love, because of the great love God has shown us, and every gift points toward Christmas Day, when God gave the world the greatest gift of all, his own Son.
More ideas for catechists and teachers are on our parishes and schools page.
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Giving without expecting anything in return
Have you ever wondered where Santa Claus comes from? It all began with a real man, long ago, who loved to give in secret.
Meet Saint Nicholas — the kind bishop who tossed bags of gold through a window to rescue three sisters, and who spent his whole life giving secret gifts for the love of God. His joyful story shows little hearts that the very best presents are the ones we give without expecting anything in return.