The holidays were my favorite time of year when I worked for hotels and resorts. I was fortunate to work for others who thought outside the box and encouraged creative thinking. One of things we implemented was Saint Nicholas Day every December 6th. This encouraged a sell-out each year once we put our marketing in place and the word of mouth of our visitors got around. I have included the story behind the project below. We did whatever it took to stand apart from other lodging partners and we had fun doing it. We gave our visitors a “WOW” that turned out to be more than filling our hotel, our community benefited too! Now that’s what I’m talking about!

When booking reservations and checking in our guests we handed them the story of Saint Nicholas and encouraged them to participate by leaving one shoe outside their door for Saint Nick…Staff filled each shoe with candy, inexpensive gifts, and an ornament. In the morning housekeeping reported squeels as the children saw their shoes filled with goodies. Our guests loved it and some would book for the following year on their way out. We built the program each year and the merchants in town joined in with Saint Nicholas sales and special events were held by community organizations! Just think how you could grow this event…For lodging with meals, restaurants, a Saint Nicholas feast would be in order, the possibilities are endless.

Here is the story of Saint Nicholas that can be printed on a poster or card for your special day at your lodging. Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6th every year in Northern Europe. This charming story can really be the “WOW” your guests are waiting for

Saint Nicholas

Early in the Advent season celebrate a feast that has been popular for centuries in Christian countries, especially in Northern Europe. In our over-commercialized society, this holiday gives us a good “teaching moment” to remind children that Jolly Santa Claus, is, in fact, Saint Nicholas, a fourth century bishop of the city of Myra in what is now Turkey.

Saint Nicholas was renowned for his great kindness and his generous aid to those in distress. Among the kind and miraculous acts attributed to him are saving three young girls from prostitution by secretly providing them with dowries, raising three murdered boys from the dead, and saving sailors caught in stormy seas. For these reasons, he is considered the patron saint of children, unmarried girls, and sailors, among others.

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 the life-saving doweries 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.

In some households the father of the family may dress up as Saint Nicholas on the eve of his feast. He comes in, sometimes with his sidekick, Krampus or Black Peter, and helps each child examine his conscience. He admonishes the bad and rewards the good. If your family enjoys theatrics, this is a wonderful opportunity early in Advent to inspire children to amend their ways in preparation for the coming King. (Your family might get together with other families with young children and celebrate together.) Story

Anyone else doing something special for your visitors at the holidays?