Children at my house found the following in their shoes this morning:- Gold coins (The gold-colored dollar coins now minted serve the double purpose of providing a little Christmas spending money and reinforcing the gold coin aspect of St. Nicholas' story.)
- The first candy canes of the season (I know, they've been available in stores since early October, but we wait until today.)
- Chocolates (Because chocolate makes life just a little nicer.)
- A small gift. A Christmas-themed book is a nice choice and we've amassed quite a collection over the years.
- When I'm organized, each child also gets an ornament that represents something our family has done together in the past year. A seashell from a visit to the ocean, a small toy from a museum gift shop, etc. Be sure to date it (a fine-tipped Sharpie or paint pen works well) and add some way to hang it from your tree.
- When I was growing up, my sisters and I always put our stockings out for Santa to fill on Christmas Eve and I continued that tradition with my own children. Eventually, as I grew in my knowledge of the Saints and love of the Church, we added the celebration of St. Nicholas' feastday. If I had it to do over again, I'd skip the Christmas morning stocking, and just celebrate St. Nicholas Day. (Moral of the story - choose your traditions wisely. You'll be stuck with them for a long time.)
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