Well, I’m pretty much of a scrooge about Christmas. I don’t like the whole consumerism thing. I don’t like families pretending they’re perfect. I don’t like . . . well, I could go on and on.

But I do love taking back tradition and ritual. This article by Mahanoy over at StreetProphets does that for me I hope it does for you as well.

Tomorrow is St. Nicholas Day, the feast day of Bishop Nicholas of Myra, who, legend has it, lived in what is now Turkey in the 4th century. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, sailors and shipbuilders, among many others (including theologians).

Legend has it that a father could not afford dowries for his three daughters, and without them they could never be married. Mysteriously, on three separate occasions each girl received a bag of gold, thrown through an open window and landing in a stocking or in a shoe. This is the origin of the practice of children placing their shoes outside the door for St. Nicholas to leave them a small gift.

Join me after the flip for more about the customs surrounding St. Nicholas Day.