As far as my earliest memories can take me, I remember that every year just a few weeks before Christmas we would celebrate St. Nicholaus day. Each one of us kids would hang a long sock on a door knob or bed post. During the night St. Nicholaus would put surprises in our socks. I remember getting up in the morning and finding an apple or orange, some nuts, or my favorite - striped ribbon candy. It was something that was really special.
    A lot of the Christmas traditions came from Germany and this was one that our folks held onto from the old days. St. Nicholaus Day falls on December the 6th and in our house it was referred to as “Little Christmas”. It always seemed to me to be the beginning of the Christmas season, when you start to look forward to the big day - Christmas.

by: Walter Kruse; 5 December 2007