Saint Nicholas Morning Tea

We had such a good time celebrating the Feast of Saint Nicholas last year that the kids had been waiting and talking about it.  So off to bed they went last night, but not before chopping some carrots and putting their shoes outside the door.  I hear that the tradition in some countries is to leave one shoe out.  My kiddies prefer to leave two; just in case.  They woke to find a purse of chocolate gold coins, candy cane and clementine for each.  (the sugar rush started early today!!)

Instead of having a simple yogurt breakfast this time we decided to have a try at making some Scepuloos cookies.  I used the recipe from the St. Nicholas Center.   I carved a miter on them : ) They are definitely for dunking; they were a bit hard. Of course, this wasn't a problem because they had plenty of Trader Joe's Candy Cane Green tea to sip.  After seeing the huge sugar consumption this morning I decided they would only have the tea, but for myself I did try a concoction the teller at TJ's shared with me:  make a cup of their Sipping Hot Chocolate and then steep a bag of the Candy Cane tea.  This was delicious!

Our story today was The Secret Gift Bearer from Saintly Tales and Legends by Lois Rock.  Our morning poem came from The Young Oxford Book of Christmas Poems :

December- Prayer to Saint Nicholas

by John Heath-Stubbs

 

Patron of all those who do good by stealth-

Slipping three bags of gold in through the window

To save three desperate girls, restoring

Dead boys to life out of the pickling tub

Of an Anatolian Sweeney Todd-

Teach us to give with simplicity, and not with an eye

To the main chance: it's less than

Three weeks' shopping time to Christmas.