St Nicholas Day Gifts for the man in your life
Giving presents on 6th December, or St Nicholas Day is a tradition that has been celebrated in Poland since the Middle Ages.
Today, St Nicholas Day is the day when we give our loved ones small gifts. Children love it, as do adults as this is the perfect opportunity of presenting someone you love with a small gift. Where did the tradition come from? What gifts would be perfect for the man in your life? Here is a brief history of St Nicholas Day and a few tips that I would myself be very glad to receive.
Where did this tradition come from?
St Nicholas Day is a Polish tradition when St Nicholas, the bishop of Mira is celebrated. In 19thcentury, 6thDecember was actually a non-working day. Why does St Nicholas bring presents? The answer to this question can be found in a legend about three daughters.
According to the legend, the young Nicholas had a very rich and greedy neighbour. As the man was mocking devotees and the God’s commandments, so God punished him by taking away everything he had. Thus the neighbour could not suport his family so he decided to sell his three daughters who had no chance of getting married because of lack of dowry. The good and reverent Nicholas knew that the fate of the three girls was doomed, so after lengthy deliberations and prayer he decided to save their virtue. For three nights in a row he threw money for the dowries through the window into his neighbour’s house. On the first morning, the neighbour married his eldest daughter. On the second day, his threw a wedding for his middle daughter but intrigue where the money came from he decided to keep watch at night to find out. He discovered with surprise that the money was thrown into his house by Nicholas, whom he held in contempt for being so pious. He thanked Nicholas and decided to live a religious life thereafter.
This is how Nicholas became the symbol of giving secret gifts, and the tradition of giving presents on 6thDecember survived till today. Here are three gift ideas for men that I, personally, would certainly be happy to get.
A watch
An evergreen classic. A luxurious men’s timepiece is always a great gift idea. What is more, it can not only be a fashion accessory but also a clever investment.
A tie
Another classic gift idea that will make any elegant man happy. Ties are like shoes for women – you can never have too many, and each adds to the collection and lets you come up with new tie and suit pairings.
A pair of shoes
This may not be an obvious or popular gift owing to the superstition that if someone gives you shoes, you are bound to break up with them. However, I am a straight headed man and do not believe this. Elegant, high-end shoes that your hubby had been dreaming about are sure to be a great gift and are unlikely to affect your relationship status.
Sunglasses
Not your typical gift for the winter season but it will certainly come in handy, especially if your loved one is planning a skiing trip to the south of Europe.
