December 6th is... Saint Nicholas Day, National Gazpacho Day, National Pawnbrokers Day, Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution Ratified (1865) Halifax Nova Scotia Destroyed (1917), Put On Your Own Shoes Day, Mitten Tree Day, Miners' Day (1907), National Microwave Oven Day (1942), National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women/White Ribbon Day (Canada), National Cook for Christmas Day, Blackout Day, Give A Secret Gift Day, Musical Instrument Gift Day, Make and Bake DayKlöpfleinsnächte (Germany),
MORE (1st Thursday): National Christmas Tree Lighting (DC)
PLUS - interesting books to read and free printables, paper crafts, kid crafts, activities, and coloring pages.
Want more Holidays to celebrate? Click for our Index of Holiday Freebies
Saint Nicholas Day-- Traditional celebrations of Saint Nicholas Day in Northern Europe included gifts left in children's shoes (the origin of our American Christmas stockings). Good children receive treats - candies, cookies, apples, and nuts, while naughty children receive switches or lumps of coal. Sometimes coins were left in the shoes, reminiscent of the life-saving dowries the saint provided. Today - especially in families of German extraction - children still put a shoe outside their bedroom doors on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day and expect to find candy and coins or small gifts in their shoe on December 6th.
Read: The Baker's Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale
-- Van Amsterdam the baker was well known for his honesty as well as for his fine Saint Nicholas cookies. He always gave his customers exactly what they paid for -- not more and not less. So, he was not about to give in when a mysterious old woman comes to him on Saint Nicholas Day and insists a dozen is thirteen! The woman's curse puts an end to the baker's business, and he believes it would take Saint Nicholas to help him. But if he receives that help, will it be exactly what he imagined? Find out in this inspiring legend from Dutch colonial New York about the birth of an honored American custom.
• Saint Nicholas: The Real Story -- Was there a real Santa Claus? To answer this question, host Mark Wilson, a distinguished historian, and archeologist travel not to the North Pole but to modern-day Turkey and Italy. There he uncovers clues leading to the truth about the man behind the legend.• PLAYMOBIL Christmas Parade Set -- Show off your holiday spirit with the Christmas Parade. Set includes three child figures, St. Nicholas figure, horse, holiday lanterns, and other accessories. Recommended for ages four to ten.
• St. Nicholas Coloring and Activity Books
Amazon Freebies:
• Free ebook about St. Nicholas. No Kindle? Download a FREE Kindle Reading App
• Read ebooks about St. Nicholas for free with a Free Trial of Kindle Unlimited
• Free Saint Nicholas apps
• Free Saint Nicholas games
• Listen to Saint Nicholas LPs with a Free Trial of Amazon Music Unlimited
• Watch Saint Nicholas Videos for Free with a Free Trial of Amazon Prime
• Listen to Audible booksabout Saint Nicholas with Amazon Audible, and Get Two Free Audiobooks
• Free Alexa Skills | Saint Nicholas
Free Printables, Coloring Pages, Activities and Crafts:
• The Story of Saint Nicholas
• The Baker's Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale
• Recipe for Saint Nicholas Cookies
• Letters from St. Nicholas (Printable)
• St. Nicholas Day - Making Learning Fun
• 15 Saint Nicholas pictures to print and color
• Printable Saint Nicholas Prayer Cards
• Saint Nicholas coloring pages
• St. Nicholas Printable
• St. Nicholas Ready-to-Print Handouts and more
National Gazpacho Day
- Gazpacho is a classic Spanish vegetable soup consumed mostly during the summer months because of its refreshingly cold qualities. This tasty dish combines the best of summer vegetables including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and onions.
National Pawnbrokers Day
- Celebrated on St. Nicholas Day, the patron saint of pawnbroking. Designed to acknowledge the valuable lending and retail services the pawnbroker provides his or her clientele.
Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution Ratified (1865)
- The 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, abolishing slavery in the US.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, save as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Destroyed (1917)
- More than 1,650 people were killed at Halifax in 1917 when the Norwegian ship Imo plowed into the French munitions ship Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc was loaded with 4,000 tons of TNT, 2,300 tons of picric acid, 61 tons of other explosives and a deck of highly flammable benzene, which ignited and touched off an explosion. In addition to those killed, 9,000 were injured. A tidal wave caused by the explosion washed much of the city out to sea.
Put On Your Own Shoes Day
- Perhaps this day was created by young mothers teaching their children how to put their shoes on for the first time!? Put on your own shoes could also mean to
walk your own path in life.
Mitten Tree Day
- One day the kids with everything put their hats and mitts on the tree so the less fortunate could play. Some churches and organizations have mitten trees so you can donate mittens to those without.
