Happy Saint Nicholas' Day!

Yes, today is St. Nicholas Day. You thought it was a bit later in the month, didn't you? Nope, that day is reserved for the Lord's Birthday.

St. Nicholas was a Bishop of Myra during the 3rd century A.D. It will come as no surprise to find out he had a reputation for secret gift-giving. He is the patron saint of sailors, pawnbrokers, merchants, archers, children, and students.

The most famous legend told about him is this one.

A poor man had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in absence of any other possible employment would have to become prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man's plight, Nicholas decided to help him but being too modest (or too shy) to help the man in public, (or knowing the man too proud to accept charity), he went to his house under the cover of night and threw three purses filled with gold coins through the window opening onto the man's floor. One version has him throwing one purse for three consecutive nights. Another has him throw the purses over a period of three years, each time the night before one of the daughters comes "of age". Invariably the third time the father lies in waiting, trying to discover their benefactor. In one version the father confronts the saint, only to have Saint Nicholas say it is not him he should thank, but God alone. In another version, Nicholas learns of the poor man's plan and drops the third bag down the chimney instead; a variant holds that the daughter had washed her stockings that evening and hung them over the embers to dry, and that the bag of gold fell into the stocking. For his help to the poor, Nicholas is the patron saint of pawnbrokers; the three gold balls traditionally hung outside a pawnshop symbolize the three sacks of gold. People then began to suspect that he was behind a large number of other anonymous gifts to the poor, using the inheritance from his wealthy parents. After he died, people in the region continued to give to the poor anonymously, and such gifts were still often attributed to St. Nicholas.

Happy Fangsgiving!

OK, note for the future: Combining Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthdays all in a 3.5-day visit is just too much. Seriously. I'm exhausted, and I didn't even do anything!

Mom got to surprise dad with his Christmas gift - a new Camcorder and tripod. She and my dad really are grateful to all my online friends that helped out and gave advice about what to look for - and what NOT to buy!

Nephew Raymond luuuuurvvvveeesss opening presents. Anyone surprised? No, I didn't think so. He LOVED his books he got from Gramma & Papa and from Aunt Kim & Uncle Kev. He wanted mommy & daddy to read "what I see in church" and "Martin Luther" and "The Creation" and "My First Catechism" and... :D

He also luuuuuurrrrrrvvvvveeeesss Kai. I was a little concerned about that one, to be honest - most 2-year-olds just aren't crazy about being around a dog that's the same size as them. And even the ones that are used to big dogs like that really aren't "good" with them - they're always sticking their fingers in his nose / eyes / ears / mouth and constantly need watching to make sure they're not torturing the poor dog. But not Ray. Nope, he knows exactly how to behave around dogs, and he was always very careful to be nice to Kai. He LOVED giving him treats and pets and hugs! Of course, that meant he also wanted to pretty much feed the entire Thanksgiving turkey to Kai, who was right there encouraging him! Kai even let Gramma know that she was not to play too rough with Ray. When he squealed because she was tickling him, Kai was right there and grred-barked at her, as if to say, "thus far. No more." Then when she stopped, he backed off and sat down and watched to make sure that Gramma and mommy were going to treat HIS human puppy well! Goodness. I really didn't expect that.

Kev really likes his new FM Transmitter he got for Christmas from my parents, and I'm really happy about my Shiny New Mythbusters DVD collection! :D
Mom was happy with her new crocheted bags for shopping (so she doesn't have to use paper OR plastic anymore!) and with her 6 bags of Vanilla Creme Drops we managed to find - and the new Carhartt gloves we got her.
Heather & Seth liked their Crocheted bags and homemade cookies! YUM.
Dad liked his Carhartt gloves and we completely surprised him with a scraper that attaches to a reciprocating saw. :D

Overall, the visit was a good one. Tempers and patience were starting to go on Sunday, since we were all tired from the visit (and we think Ray's teething again, so he did not have a good night, which of course means mommy & daddy didn't either) and we were all kinda bummed we had to go Back To Reality Land, but in general, I think a Good Time Was Had By All.