Giving in Secret - St Nicholas Day Tradition
Want your children to learn the value of giving in secret? St Nicholas day is a perfect day to teach this important Christian principle. My kids love acting like St Nicholas and giving secretly and running away to make sure they don’t get caught! We gathered up some extra gold coins, and oranges, and put them in a bag and drop them off at the neighbors porch and run away. Think “ding dong ditch” but leaving behind a gift. That alone would be enough to just give in secret without receiving any acknowledgment. But of course, my heart is always for evangelism opportunities, so I created little gift tags to print up and attach so our neighbors can learn more about St Nicholas day! I created a bundle for families like yours to carry on this tradition in your own communities, and included a pretty print out to learn about other St Nicholas Day Traditions!
A few years ago, we started our own family tradition on St Nicholas Day of creating gift bags to drop off secretly on their neighbors porch. It’s a cherished tradition! After reading the story of St Nicholas and the 9 Gold Coins, we learn from this famous St Nicholas story that it is good to give in secret! In fact, it is best to give in secret. I remind my children of Jesus’s words in the Gospel of Matthew 6:1-4:
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
Check out our latest YouTube Video about this tradition!
In this video, we share more about St Nicholas and the traditions associated with his feast, and share how we give in secret on his feast day!
Celebrate St. Nicholas Day with Patristic Nectar Kids! Welcome to a joyful tradition of the Church! If you’re new to celebrating St. Nicholas Day, I’m thrilled to share this special feast with you. It’s a meaningful and fun way to bring the life of the Church into your home and create lasting family memories. In the Orthodox Church, we honor saints on their feast days, and St. Nicholas' feast day is December 6th. A beloved tradition is leaving out shoes on the evening of December 5th—don’t forget to join in the fun! If you’re new to celebrating feast days as a family, this is the perfect one to start with. Resources Mentioned in the Video: St. Nicholas Printable Tags: https://www.asceticlifeofmotherhood.c... Saint Nicholas and the Nine Gold Coins Book: https://svspress.com/saint-nicholas-a... Bring the joy of this beautiful feast into your home and discover the richness of Orthodox traditions with your little ones! 🎄👞✨
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My hope is to provide you with many ideas and ways to participate in this special feast day, finding what works best for your family. This is just what our family does, but that is not the standard. Every home is a little church and will create their own little “t” traditions! However, keeping our focus on prayer and attending services as we live the life of the church is what’s most important. Everything else is icing on the cake.
Be sure to follow along on Instagram for more Feast Day resources and Nativity activities! I pray you have a joyous and fruitful Nativity!
Kh Destinie
