Children around the world celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas by placing a shoe by the hearth, window or door on the eve of the Dec. 6 celebration for a gift of chocolate coins, candy canes, oranges and other treats. Encourage the children in your life to be like St. Nicholas and secretly do something kind for a sibling or friend on this day. Adults can take part in this, too. If you decide to give something tangible, you can find beautiful St. Nicholas wrapping paper, stationery and more at the Shower of Roses Shoppe on zazzle.com.
Right after St. Nicholas’ feast day comes that of St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, who also was extremely generous, giving all his land and money to the poor. Legend has it that a swarm of bees landed on St. Ambrose as an infant, leaving a drop of honey on his face. His father took this to mean that his son had the gift of speech. Known for his eloquence and as the “honey-tongued Doctor of the Church,” he must have said something good to help convert the famously wayward St. Augustine. Be like St. Ambrose and sweeten someone’s day Dec. 7 with words of wisdom and kindness or fill a stocking with pure St. Ambrose Honey from www.stambrosehoney.com.