happy saint nicholas day!

catsmas decoratin'* starts offishully at chez pierce when mom brings this li'l feller outta the attic an' puts him inna tall lighted cabinet inna liffin' room.
it's allus the same day: Saint Nicholas Day, december 6th.

our croatian great gramma bean giffed him to mom when she was only 7 years old (mom, not great gramma), so he's more'n half a century ancient. he is made of paper marshay an' his outfit is flocked on. he's holdin' a li'l sprig of somethin' that's sposd to be a catsmas tree, an' his top half twists offa his bottom--he was filled wif chocolate candies when he was new. yew kin learn more about the good saint here an' here.

mom allus did saint nicholas day treats fur our boy bean, dash, as he grew up, so he knew something most kids inna ozarks din't. when he was half-growed an' studied german language in school, one winter morning the teacher (herr zahn -- mr tooth) told the kids (in german) that whoefur took off their shoos an' put 'em outsidea the door would get a surprise. alla the kids looked at dash like he was goofy while he did it, because some of them understood the instructions but they din't think they made any sense, so they din't do it. but he did it acause he knew that that's what kids in europe would do the night befur saint nicholas's day. then the next morning they would find the little treats that the saint had left fur them. so out inna hall was an older student wif a bag of candy--an' since dash was the only one to show up, he got the whole thing!! mom was furry proud for him!

so this is allus a happy day at our house, an' we wishes one to YOU, too!
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*ixept outdoor lights, which can go up as early as mid-november, acause dad puts them up an' he sez all sortsa non-catsmas-like words if he hasta do it when it's rainin' or snowin' or icin'.