So I learned yesterday on the radio that German tradition dictates that children shine and polish their shoes and put them outside their house or at the foot of their bed on the night of 5th December, so that Saint Nicholas will come past and fill them with sweets and nuts and goodies if they have been good.
It was news to me, despite many other Germany traditions that we carry on, though I suppose we have received many a chocolate santa over the years around this time of year. Or is that what the Christmas booties have been all about on Christmas eve??
Anyway, I think it's going to be a tradition I introduce to my kids (if I can remember every 5th December)... Of course we won't start this year since we have no shoes that need polishing (thank you school uniform Abu Dhabi in advance for next year!) and I have no sweets worth anything in the collection of suitcases, boxes and bags we're living out of for the next two weeks.
We did celebrate Saint Nicholas Day though at school yesterday with Trinity's first First Friday of the year. Saint Nicholas even visited the school to hand out blessings, as did True Lite Christian Fellowship choir, which gave us a very different All School chapel service including a 'praise dance' and a Kindergartener playing Hark the Herald on the piano (for two verses he was two notes up the octave for the whole verse. Very amusing).
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