Advent, St. Nicholas and Chocolate
With Christmas time fast approaching, along with it comes many traditions. The celebration of Advent and St. Nicholas Day are among those localized traditions that we enjoy each year. But did you ever wonder where or how they got their start? Here’s a bit of backstory on each.
Advent, which begins this year on Nov. 29th and ends Dec. 24th, is observed by the Christian church as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the birth of Jesus (Christmas.) The traditional practice includes keeping an Advent calendar or lighting an Advent wreath, with the first Advent calendar used by German Lutherans in the 19th century. Fast forward to today, and Advent calendars are still very popular during Christmastime. Customarily, doors open for each day leading up to Christmas, revealing a special holiday image, small gift or chocolate treat.
Another traditional holiday celebrated in early December, is the feast of St. Nicholas, otherwise known as St. Nick’s Day. The man, St. Nicholas, was known for selling all his possessions and giving money to the poor. This 3rd century saint became the inspiration for our modern-day Santa Claus and most Western Christian countries celebrate his feast day on Dec. 6th. On the eve of the 5th, children traditionally leave out their shoes in hopes he will fill them with small gifts.
Here at Sweet P’s we love to find ways to celebrate these special holiday traditions with your families in unique – and equally delicious – ways.
New to our holiday collection this year is our Advent Calendar chocolate bar, with 24 squares of Belgian chocolate that you can break off in countdown to Christmas. Also, our specialty Gingerbread House Advent Calendar box is full of decadent artisan treats including truffles, chocolates, caramels and more.
If you’re looking for something sweet to leave out for St. Nick’s Day, we have several other Christmas chocolate molds to choose from – nutcrackers, trains, reindeer, snowmen and Santas, just to name a few! Or consider one of our new mini holiday treat boxes, filled with a chocolate holiday figure, toffee bite and single serving of our sipping chocolate.
For a complete list of all the festive holiday treats we have to offer, visit www.sweetpspanty.com and shop our entire Christmas collection! We also ship, so you can be sure to treat someone special even if they don’t live close by.