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Visits from St. Nicholas
Esther Schönwandt

When my two brothers and I were little, we always had St. Nicholas and his two helpers visit around December 6.

Weeks before his visit we would have to learn a poem to recite to him. At the beginning of December, after dark, one can always hear that familiar ring of St. Nik's bell. As children this sound frightened us. The day St. Nicholas was visiting, we would be the most helpful, well-behaved and quiet children. In our naïvete we thought we might still be able to influence what St. Nicholas would tell us later on that evening.

After dinner the excitement and nervousness reached its peak. We hardly spoke. The past year went through our minds, until we heard the bell in front of our door. Now the heart started to pound really hard!

St. Nicholas and his two helpers would enter the living room. St. Nicholas was always dressed in a red robe, and wore a Bishop's hat and white gloves. He carried with him a long gold sceptre and a gold book. His two helpers were dressed in hooded dark brown robes. Their faces were dark as charcoal. One of them carried a big jute bag with him and the other something which is probably best described as a twig broom.

Ivo listening to St. Nicholas.

Once St. Nicholas was sitting across from us children, he would open his big golden book and address us. At first he would remind us, that we should honor and obey our parents and friends. Sometimes he would also give a piece of advise to our parents. Then he would talk to us individually and praise us for the good deeds we did over the past year. After that followed the scolding. That was the most dreaded part of the entire evening. And as little children we always wondered how does he know all these things? And each year we made a resolution to behave better the coming year… After St. Nik was done with his speech we would recite the poem for him.

When it was all over one of the helpers would empty the bag. He would cover the floor with mandarins, oranges, chocolates, ginger bread, nuts and other sweets and fruits. (The parents would leave the goodies in front of the door. When St. Nicholas and his helpers arrive, they would take everything and put it in their brown jute bag. Which of course little children don't know. To them it look like St. Nicholas brings all these treats.)

I still remember the feeling of relief after the three winter visitors left and were on the way to other children's homes.

Now, many years later, Ivo himself is a Nicholas. The photograph shows him visiting his godchild, in December 2000.

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