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St Nicholas in bishop's robes filling a row of children's boots by the front door on a snowy night
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Nikolaus · Sinterklaas · Mikołaj · December 6

St Nicholas Day: when it is, what to put in the shoes, and how families celebrate

Before Santa there was St Nicholas — and in millions of American homes with German, Dutch, Polish, Czech or Ukrainian roots he still comes first. On the evening of December 5 children put out their shoes; by morning they are full of chocolate, oranges and small presents. Here is when it falls, what goes in the shoes, and how each tradition does it.

23 celebrations in 13 states and DC · checked September 2026

📍 Find one near you

until St Nicholas Day

When is St Nicholas Day?

December 6, every year. In 2026 it falls on a Sunday, so the shoes go out on the evening of Saturday, December 5 — the night St Nicholas makes his rounds. The countdown above runs to midnight on the 5th, when the shoes start filling up.

Orthodox churches that keep the old Julian calendar — Serbian and Russian among them — celebrate St Nicholas on December 19. Ukrainian churches moved to December 6 in 2023, so most Ukrainian families now celebrate with everyone else.

Who was St Nicholas?

A bishop of Myra, a town on the south coast of today's Turkey, in the fourth century. The best-known story about him: a poor man could not pay dowries for his three daughters, so Nicholas secretly threw bags of gold through their window at night — and they landed in stockings and shoes left to dry by the fire. That is why children still put out shoes and stockings, and why chocolate coins are the classic treat.

Dutch settlers brought Sinterklaas to New Amsterdam, and over the nineteenth century New Yorkers turned him into Santa Claus. So St Nicholas Day is not a rival to Christmas — it is where Santa started.

What to put in the shoes

The classics fit in a child's boot: chocolate coins for the gold, a mandarin or an orange, walnuts, a chocolate St Nicholas, gingerbread or speculaas cookies, and a candy cane — some families say it is shaped like the bishop's staff. Keep it small: this is a taste of Christmas, not a second Christmas.

For little children, add a picture book about St Nicholas, mittens, stickers or a small ornament for the tree. Older kids and teens are happy with cozy socks, a new book, a small game or a hot chocolate kit. Many families keep going for grown-up children too — good chocolate and a note from St Nick never gets old.

In the old tradition, naughty children found a lump of coal or a bundle of twigs instead. Today that is a joke — usually a piece of black licorice or coal-shaped candy on top of the treats.

A leather boot filled with an apple, a mandarin, walnuts, spiced cookies and a chocolate St NicholasPhoto: HerzenSterneBrezeln · CC BY-SA 4.0

How each tradition celebrates

German and Austrian families put out their boots for Nikolaus on the evening of the 5th. In northern Germany he comes with Knecht Ruprecht; in Austria and Bavaria with Krampus, the horned figure who scares the naughty ones.

Dutch and Flemish families celebrate Sinterklaas. In the Netherlands the big night is December 5, pakjesavond, with presents and funny poems; children put out a shoe with a carrot for his horse in the weeks before. In Belgium the presents come on the morning of the 6th.

Polish children find gifts from Mikołaj under the pillow or in their shoes on Mikołajki, December 6 — in Polish, St Nicholas and Santa share the same name. Czech and Slovak families wait for Mikuláš, who walks the streets on the evening of the 5th with an angel and a devil; children recite a poem or sing to earn their treats. Hungarians put their boots in the window for Mikulás, and Ukrainian children find presents from Sviatyi Mykolai under the pillow.

What people eat on St Nicholas Day

Spiced cookies above all: Dutch speculaas pressed in wooden molds, pepernoten, German Lebkuchen, and in Germany a sweet yeast-bread man with raisin eyes called a Weckmann. Chocolate letters are a Dutch favorite — each child gets the first letter of their name. Add mandarins, nuts and a mug of hot chocolate, and you have the whole table.

Where to meet St Nicholas in the US

23 public St Nicholas, Sinterklaas, Mikołajki and Mikuláš celebrations in 13 states and DC — from Dutch towns and a Dutch colonial manor to Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Ukrainian and Greek parishes. We searched Google in 38 cities with strong German, Dutch and Central European roots and kept only events with a date and place confirmed by the organizer. Where the 2026 date is out we give it; otherwise the last one.

23 celebrations in 13 states and DC

By city

Michigan, MI

  • Frankenmuth

    St. Nicholas to Santa Claus at Bronner's

    A free half-hour show in which St Nicholas himself tells children how he became Santa Claus, with plenty of audience participation. A yearly tradition at the store that calls itself the world's largest Christmas store, in Michigan's Bavarian town.

    Next: Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22, 2026 — at 2 pm and 3 pm, free

    25 Christmas Ln, Frankenmuth, MI 48734Organizer's page

  • Holland

    Dutch Winterfest and the Sinterklaas Shuffle

    Five days of the Sinterklaas season in a town founded by Dutch settlers: pick up a lantern and walk downtown with Sinterklaas and his crew, plus an outdoor ice park and the Kerstmarkt Christmas market nearby.

    Next: December 1–5, 2026

    8th Street, Downtown Holland, MI 49423Organizer's page

  • Troy, Metro Detroit

    St. Nicholas Feast Day Open House

    The Greek parish opens its doors on the Sunday after its patron saint's day.

    Last held: Sunday, December 7, 2025, 1–4 pm

    St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 2560 Crooks Rd, Troy, MI 48084Organizer's page

Iowa & the Great Plains, IA / NE / MO

Chicago, Indiana & Ohio, IL / IN / OH

  • Northwest Side, Chicago

    Mikołajki at the Polish National Alliance

    The Polish community's family afternoon for Mikołaj: a photo with him, gifts for registered children up to ten, lunch for the kids and a clown. Registration required; a small family donation goes to a Chicago home for single mothers.

    Last held: Sunday, December 7, 2025, 12–2:30 pm

    6100 N Cicero Ave, Chicago, IL 60646Organizer's page

  • Evanston, IL

    St. Nick's Fest

    A three-day parish festival on St Nicholas's weekend, with a raffle and family events.

    Next: December 4–6, 2026 (Fri 6:30 pm, Sat 8 am–4 pm, Sun 9:30 am–3 pm)

    St. John XXIII Parish, Evanston, ILOrganizer's page

  • Downtown Indianapolis

    Sankt Nikolaus Fest at the Athenaeum

    The German-American landmark's St Nicholas afternoon, in the middle of its Christkindlmarkt season.

    Last held: Sunday, December 7, 2025, 1–4 pm

    The Athenaeum, 401 E Michigan St, Indianapolis, INOrganizer's page

  • Brown County, IN

    Steele's Country Christmas

    Visit with St Nicholas and Belsnickel — his fur-clad, switch-carrying companion from the German Palatinate — with crafts and festive music.

    Last held: Saturday, December 6, 2025, noon–4 pm

    T.C. Steele State Historic Site, Nashville, INOrganizer's page

  • Cleveland, OH

    St. Nicholas at St. Emeric

    The Hungarian parish celebrates Mikulás with a visit for the children after the Sunday Mass.

    Last held: Sunday, December 7, 2025

    St. Emeric Church, Cleveland, OHOrganizer's page

New York & New England, NY / MA

Pennsylvania, PA

Washington, DC, DC

The South, NC / TX

Seattle, WA

Questions

What day do you put shoes out for St Nick?
On the evening of December 5, before bed. In 2026 that is Saturday night; the shoes are filled by Sunday morning, December 6.
What is the difference between Christmas and St Nicholas Day?
St Nicholas Day, December 6, honours the fourth-century bishop whose secret gifts started the whole idea of Santa. It brings small treats in shoes; the big presents still come at Christmas.
Is St Nicholas Day a Catholic holiday?
It is a feast day for Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and many Lutherans — but in German, Dutch and Central European families it is simply a family tradition, religious or not.
Why do some people celebrate St Nicholas on December 19?
Orthodox churches that follow the Julian calendar, such as the Serbian and Russian, mark December 6 on their calendar — which is December 19 on ours.