St. Nicholas Day

Since Ukrainian churches use the Julian calendar, the feast of St. Nicholas falls on today, December 19. This is a special day for our children. Historically, it is St. Nicholas who brings the most gifts to children today. Yes, you can also find a gift for the New Year under the Christmas tree, but it is not necessary. But today all the children who were nice received their gifts.

My daughter was looking forward to this morning. No one had any doubt that she had been nice all year, so we were sure that St. Nicholas would come to her. Traditionally, Nicholas leaves gifts under the pillow, but when the gifts are too big or too many, he can put them near the bed.

Yesterday the child could not sleep because of anxiety. But in the end, late in the evening, St. Nicholas sent us all a good night's sleep.

Our daughter woke us up early in the morning. She happily jumped on the bed, because near the pillow she saw this:

Among the most coveted gifts were:

• cat Milady from the cartoon "44 cats"

• Princess Rainbow Dash from the cartoon "My Little Pony"

• squish

• and of course a mountain of candy

There were a few more small gifts.

Nicholas brings a birch to rude children. So I was afraid I might get such a gift. Fortunately, Nicholas had a different opinion, near the pillow I found:

The wife also received a gift - a box of candy.

Positive children's emotions reminded me of my childhood. St. Nicholas Day is the biggest holiday for children. I was looking forward to it. In those days, Nicholas was poorer. I was waiting for candy and Kinder Surprise. That was what I wanted most. Nikolai also traditionally brought tangerines and, of course, a toy.

But the most memorable thing from childhood is the belief in a miracle, in a fairy tale. This day in the eyes of a child is truly magical, full of wonders. This is what we adults lack.

Congratulations to all of you on the holiday, although you do not celebrate today!