December 6th is the feast day of Saint Nicholas, a 4th century early Christian bishop known for his generosity, kindness to children, and secret gift-giving. Many countries in Europe, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Ukraine, celebrate this day. The most common way is for children to place their shoes near the door on the evening of December 5th, hoping that Saint Nicholas will leave them chocolates, fruit or nuts, and maybe a small gift. Some children leave a carrot or some hay in their shoes for Saint Nicholas’ horse. Sound familiar? This is because the Saint Nicholas of Europe is the basis for the Santa Claus of America. “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.” is a line from the story poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” by Clement-Clarke Moore. First published in New York in 1823, it helped to popularize Santa Claus. We know the story best by the title “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

Saint Nicholas in Europe is usually thinner than our Santa and wears a red cloak and black boots. We found this ornament in Germany. It is made from salt clay using an old cookie press or cookie stamp, a wooden tool with a carved design to press onto rolled out cookie dough. Once all the dough was pressed with the design, it was cut around each one to make individual cookies, decorated with egg white “paint” tinted different colors, and baked. There are some bakeries in Germany that make cookies this way during the Christmas season. When we hang the ornament on the tree, we want one of those cookies!