Feast of St. Nicholas - Candy Cane Blessing

December 6th is the day in the Church's tradition where we commemorate the death of St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor. Little is known about his save for a small collection of stories underling his great generosity as well as the fact that he attended the First Council of Nicaea in 325AD where our Creed was first adopted.

At some point along the way, it bacame tradition in our Church to bless the sweets given to children during the Christmas season on the feast of this very popular saint. Today in our homes we will often gather in the evening to bless our festive candy canes on this feast before placing them on our trees;

St. Nicholas Day Blessing of Candy Canes
by Edward Hays

Good St. Nicholas, we honor you
on this your holy feast day.
We rejoice that you are the patron saint
and the holy symbol of joy
for many peoples of many lands.

Come, great-hearted saint,
and be our patron and companion
as we, once again, prepare our homes and hearts
for the great feast of Christmas,
the birth of the Eternal Blessing, Jesus Christ.

May these sweets, these candy canes,
be a sign of Advent joy for us.
May these candy canes,
shaped just like your Bishop's staff,
be for us a sign of your benevolent care.

We rejoice that you are the holy bringer of gifts
and that so many have been delighted
through your great generosity.
Help us to be as generous of heart.

Wherever these candy canes are hung,
on tree or wall or door,
may they carry with them
the bright blessing of God.
May all who shall taste them
experience the joy of God
upon their tongues and in their hearts.

We ask God, now, to bless
these your brightly striped sweets
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

To learn more about St. Nicholas, head on over to the St. Nicholas site at St.Nicholas.org. Tons of fun facts and great prayer reflections and home activities for individuals and families!

Peace and God Bless