To make the feast of Saint Nicholas a special day, their children give puppet shows with home-made stocking puppets. The parents tell stories about Saint Nicholas to the children and discuss why he is worth imitating. They celebrate December 6 with a festive dinner and decorations. Some families may wish to give up giving each other gifts altogether for Christmas. Others, though, remembering the model of the Magi and Saint Nicholas, may want to continue to give Christmas gifts, to honor the image of Christ that everyone bears.
Remembrance is the key.
We Americans often lament our lack of roots, the absence of tradition in our lives. And it's truly a poverty - but it can also be an opportunity. A suburban family will find a different answer than a rural one. It will take creativity to bring Saint Nicholas to our time, but that can be fun. Families in some places may be able to take a boat ride on the ocean, where the salt air and the swells, even on a calm day, can make it easy to imagine being a frightened sailor with a worthy pilot at the helm.