Feast Days · Feast: December 6, 2026 · Published October 16, 2026

St Nicholas Day: The Bishop Behind the Stockings

December 6 is the feast of St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra, a city in what is now Turkey. He lived in the 300s, and we know only a little about his life for certain. What has come down to us is a reputation for generosity so strong that people have loved him for more than sixteen hundred years.

The best-known story is of a poor man with three daughters and no money for their dowries. Nicholas came at night and secretly tossed bags of gold through the window, so the girls could marry. That quiet, secret giving is the root of the stockings, the shoes left out on the night of December 5, and, through the Dutch Sinterklaas, of Santa Claus himself.

In 1087 his relics were carried to Bari, in southern Italy, where they still rest. He's a patron of children, sailors and many others, and he's honored in both the East and the West.

His feast falls early in Advent, so it's a lovely way to start the season of giving. In 2026, December 6 is the Second Sunday of Advent, so the Sunday Mass takes the place of his memorial, but families can still keep the day at home: shoes by the door, a little candy or a small gift, and the story of the bishop who gave in secret.

A prayer for the day: "St. Nicholas, friend of children and the poor, teach us to give freely and quietly, the way God gives to us. Pray for us. Amen."

Designs for this feast: Christmas Angel Shirt · Madonna and Child Shirt

Related designs: Advent and Christmas Gifts · Catholic Kids' and Baby Shirts