Day 5 of Advent

Jolly Old St. Nicholas

This song’s simple melody brings back memories as it was the first song I can remember playing at a piano recital when I was but a wee lad. Moving on, Brigette and I both grew up celebrating St. Nicholas day. The tradition is the everyone puts their boots out the night before with carrots for St. Nicks donkey, and when morning comes the carrots are gone and the shoes are filled with treats! In our house, this festive day falls neatly between two of our boy’s birthdays, so it has become a weeklong celebration!

- Caleb

Listen to Jolly Old St. Nicholas by Michael Martin Murphey

Include us in your day! Tag @piperandleaf and #piperandleafadvent

Scripture Reading for the Day

1 Peter 1:19-20

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you.

Activity for Today

Put Your Shoes Out

Have everyone in the family put their shoes in the hallway or on the hearth filled with carrots tonight. As tradition has it, if you leave carrots in your shoes for St. Nicholas's donkey to eat, he will fill your shoes with all kinds of treats!

Someone gets to play St. Nicolas and fill the shoes with fruit, nuts, candy, or any other treats before tomorrow morning. Piper & Leaf tea bags also make great fillers for shoes and stockings ;)

Velvety chocolate, smooth as St. Nick's sleigh ride, drawn by rich berries as vibrant as his rosy cheeks.

Let's spill the tea about Velvet Bliss...

Eloquent Description

Imagine the pure bliss of gourmet black tea combined with luscious,
chocolate-dipped strawberries and a hint of spice. Now stop imagining
and taste it for yourself.

Ingredients

  • Ceylon Black Tea
  • Cacao Nibs
  • Strawberries
  • Chocolate (dairy free)
  • Rosehips
  • Figs
  • Pink Peppercorns
  • Currants
  • Hibiscus
  • Elderberries
  • Blackberries
  • Organic Natural Flavor
  • Blueberries

Steeping Suggestions

For hot tea, steep one tea bag in 8 to 10oz of 212 water for 3.5 minutes. For iced, use half the water(same temp), steep for the same time, and add ice after you pull the tea bag out.

Someone Else's Thoughts

“I brewed a jar of concentrate this morning and as I write this review, I have emptied half the jar. This tea is one of those you let out a little moan when you drink it. Creamy rich chocolate with a back story of strawberry is amazing in this brew. … I am coming back for at least some more muslin bags, if not a full pound. It is that good. Run, don’t walk, and buy some now before it goes away!”
– Kelly Bensen

All about Jolly Old St. Nicholas

  • Fun Fact!

    All growing up, all us kids would always hunt for the biggest shoes in the house, hoping for more loot—usually a big ol’ boot, a cowboy boot if we could get our hands on one! Also, it’s Mark’s 6th birthday today! Wish him a Happy Birthday and a boot full of loot! Here's a Cowboy Christmas version of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas in honor of Mark's 6th Birthday (He's a cowboy, obviously)

    Listen to Jolly Old St. Nicholas by Michael Martin Murphey 

  • Jolly Old St. Nicholas

    Jolly old St. Nicholas
    Lean your ear this way
    Don't you tell a single soul
    What I'm going to say

    Christmas Eve is coming soon
    Now, you dear old man
    Whisper what you'll bring to me
    Tell me if you can

    When the clock is striking twelve
    When I'm fast asleep
    Down the chimney broad and black
    With your pack you'll creep

    All the stockings you will find
    Hanging in a row
    Mine will be the shortest one
    You'll be sure to know

    What's it gonna be, Santa
    Underneath the tree, Santa
    What's it gonna be, Santa
    Be this for me

    Jolly old St. Nicholas
    Now you dear old man
    Whisper what you'll bring to me
    Tell me if you can

    What's it gonna be, Santa
    Underneath the tree, Santa
    What's it gonna be, Santa
    Be this for me

    Jason wants a Fender bass
    Walt a saxophone
    Lee, he needs a flugelhorn
    Jimmy, a trombone

    Robert wants a baby grand
    Bill, a new B3
    Tris, he wants a dolly, but
    What are you gonna bring to me, Santa?

    What's it gonna be, Santa
    Underneath the tree, Santa
    What's it gonna be, Santa
    Be this

    What's it gonna be, Santa
    Underneath the tree, Santa
    What's it gonna be, Santa
    Be this for me
    How about a shiny electric guitar, Santa?

  • About the Author

    Emily Miller, a storyteller with a heart for family traditions, penned the beloved Christmas poem "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" in the late 1800s. Her warm and whimsical words have become a seasonal favorite, reminding generations of the joy that comes along with the holidays.

    Captivated by the charm of her poem, James Murray was the first to set it to music, turning it into the classic Christmas song we know today!

    Together, Miller's heartfelt poetry and Murray's musical touch have brought festive cheer to families for over a century.

Velvet Bliss & Jolly Old St. Nicholas, a match made in heaven.

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