St. Nicholas and Advent Rituals

It's late, though I'm by nature a night owl.  My children are nestled in their beds, snuggled down with their special friends and warm blankets.  We like to make the most of the few cold nights we get here in Houston by lighting some candles, donning our warm pajamas (that we grow out of too quickly for the amount of time we actually get to wear them), drinking or eating something warm for our tummies, and then burying ourselves in soft warm blankets following our bed time rhythms.

Tonight our story before bed was the story of St. Nicholas and his secret gift giving.  An added element for our ritual was setting shoes out (easy to do with laying out clothes for school in the morning) and making plans to do an unexpected kindness for someone else tomorrow.  Come the morrow, there will be a tiny chocolate St. Nick, a clementine, some whole walnuts with sparkly gold shells, and a small gift tucked inside each pair of shoes.  Around the shoes will be a light dusting of glittery magic dust.  Not much and nothing fancy but this festival day is a part of our family's advent rhythm and this year we're adding a potluck at our school to share the warmth of community.  I loved watching Evangeline, almost 4, really understand what's going on and after sharing our story together she enthusiastically encouraged everyone to get their shoes and then go to bed so St. Nicholas could come.  "Nicholas is coming!" she cried.  Tomorrow her face is going to be the real treat!  I love the wonder, the connection to a real person that lived so long ago giving of himself to care for others, the emphasis on giving to others and to giving to those in need, and developing the sense of expectant waiting that is advent.  Going through the day tomorrow we will all be aware of the history of St. Nicholas helping those in need and inspired by him seek ways to give warmth and hope to others in need this advent and seek to carry that spirit on throughout the year.

I wanted to share just a quick list of St. Nicholas resources if you'd like to try some this year or plan to incorporate them next advent season.  Keep in mind the date differs around the world though the most recognized St. Nicholas Feast Day is December 6th.  Some celebrate on the 19th, others on Christmas.

St. Nicholas Stories
St. Nicholas teaching story (From a Waldorf Kindergarten, I read and then retold an abridged version)
St Nicholas traditions from other families
St. Nicholas activities

St. Nicholas Day isn't the only advent ritual we observe, I'll be sharing more about those and about Waldorf festivals in general over the next few weeks.  What rituals and rhythms do you observe during advent?  What winter holidays are you preparing for and how will you celebrate them?

This is our school

This is our school.  If your child goes to Bayou Village School you already know that it really is this picturesque and charming.  If your child doesn't, well, we can't wait to show you more about our school, our children, our families, and our joy in Waldorf inspired education.

Our school has something for children ages 3-6 and grades 1-5th.  In our community we enjoy festivals, gatherings, baking bread, handwork, lots of play, nature, gardening, friends, and learning.

I feel incredibly blessed to have my children at a Waldorf inspired school.  For years Waldorf was the kind of education environment I wanted for my children but the options in are area were limited and nothing provided the right fit.  After one school year in a Waldorf inspired school an hour away from our home we decided to homeschool our children, inspired as much as possible by the Waldorf model.  While we enjoyed homeschooling it wasn't quite the right fit for the needs of our family so we were very excited when Bayou Village School opened.  We are fortunate enough enroll our three middle children in the school.  Our three year old Evangeline is in the early childhood program, a Sweet Pea 2 days a week; our eight year old Helena and ten year old Lavinia are both in the grades programs, 3rd and 5th respectively.  Currently we're taking advantage of the partial week option, helping ease the transition from homeschooling the last 4 years to a classroom environment.  It's been such a gentle transition, giving my sweet girls time to adjust and embrace this new learning environment.  One of the aspects of BVS I appreciate so much is the flexibility to find what works for each family, taking the unique needs and situation of the students into consideration, embracing all in the community with gentleness and respect.  I couldn't ask for more for my family.