[Antoninus]

This is a great thread.

My wife and I visited the relics of St. Nicholas in Bari, Italy on our honeymoon. And as a result, one of our kids is named Nicholas.

I watched one of the Rankin-Bass Christmas specials last night which supposed to explain the early life of "Santa Claus". Of course, it was spun from whole cloth, with not a trace of St. Nicholas to be found anywhere. I think it's long past time for Christians to start re-introducing their kids to this great saint and jettisoning some of the fluff that's grown up around him.

[NYer]

My wife and I visited the relics of St. Nicholas in Bari, Italy on our honeymoon. And as a result, one of our kids is named Nicholas.

Love that name! He should be proud of the link to this saint as his patron.

The parish Christmas party is scheduled for Saturday evening after Mass for the Immaculate Conception. In the past, Santa would pay a visit and bring gifts to the kids. I made some changes this year. I plan to gather the children around and read them The (real) Christmas Story. This will be followed by the story of St. Nicholas and the arrival of Santa with simple gifts for the kids. Over the next few years, we will reshape Santa's costume into that of St. Nicholas :-)