Editor's Notebook
St. Nicholas' Feast Day is Dec. 6 — Do You Celebrate It?
Many put out their shoes or stockings overnight in hopes that St. Nicholas will leave them a little something for his Dec. 6 feast day. Read about the tradition.
In some cultures and faiths, St. Nicholas visits well before Christmas. When I was growing up in Holland, this day, called "Sinterklaas" in Dutch, was a pretty big deal. Sinterklaas (AKA Santa) came from Spain in a steamboat. Once he landed on our shore, he rode a white horse. Besides that, he looked pretty much the same as the American Santa. Oh, except for the pope-like hat. We would have big parades, and Santa and his helpers, characters known as Zwarte Piet, which I'm just not going to get into, would throw candy out to the crowd. One such candy was called a "pepernoot," a small, round gingerbread-ish cookie. The distinct flavors of clove, cinnamon and anise make this a very memorable holiday treat. The evening before, all the kids …
