The Brawl at the Debate

St. Nicholas’ feast day, December 6, is celebrated way more in Europe and the East than it is in America. In Bavaria (where our family is from), as in most places in Europe, children put their shoes outside the door on the night of December 5. In the morning, the shoes are filled with chocolates. In some places, gift giving happens on St. Nicholas’ feast rather than Christmas.

This video gives you a sense of the scale of St. Nicholas celebrations in the Netherlands. We do not endorse all opinions in this video; it is included as a good summary of Dutch St. Nicholas traditions.

This image is from the end of the 18th century. You can see Jesus and Mary giving him the book of the Gospels and bishop’s robes

There is no dearth of St. Nicholas punching memes on the internet.