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When I was little, I attended a Catholic grade school. I learned about St. Nicholas Day from the nuns. I brought my new-found knowledge home to my mom and she went right along with it.

I was really into gifts (still am), so when the nuns told me you were supposed to put your shoes by the front door and gifts would appear the next morning, I was hooked.

St. Nicholas Day is the 6th of December and is celebrated all over the world. It’s really big in the Netherlands and other parts of Europe. They even have parades and light fireworks.

So back to the gifts.

The idea is to put your shoes by the door the night before. Traditionally, your shoes would be filled with oranges the next morning, maybe a little chocolate and/or a teeny gift of some kind. I guess how many gifts you get depends on the family budget.

My brother and I put our shoes out and went to bed.

Magically, the next morning our shoes had an orange and some chocolates. St. Nicholas had arrived during the night! Wow!

I kept up this tradition. Even to this day, I put a little gift of a clementine or an orange on the desk of our employees, along with a little dark chocolate treat. I wish them all a Happy St. Nicholas Day. And now, I wish the same for you, too.

It’s fun to add holiday traditions in your life.
And share the joy.

Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes are courtesy of Plan Z dieter Ashley, a professional pastry chef.