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2007-12-18 issue:

The Neffs: St. Nicholas Day

by Anna Groff

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Dana and Kathleen Neff, who live in North Newton, Kan., served in Haiti with Mennonite Central Committee and observed that many people celebrated Christmas without giving gifts.



Dana, Sheralynn, Kathleen and Darnell Neff. Photo provided.

“We wanted to do that, but when we thought about having children, we wondered how we can do this without our children feeling totally out of it,” Dana says.

They decided to enjoy gift-giving as a family on St. Nicholas Day, held on Dec. 6, which commemorates the saint who is now the image of Santa Claus.

“Children can be connected with their peers but separate gifts from Christmas,” Dana says.

With the gift-giving out of the way early in the month, the Neffs and their children, Darnell, 20, and Sheralynn, 17, then focus on the spiritual nature of Christmas around Christmas Day with family and church events instead of last-minute shopping stress.

“I can’t quite imagine now how people get it all in with the gift-giving,” says Dana. “[Our] Christmas Day is pretty relaxed.

As a child it’s hard to differentiate gifts from Christmas, Sheralynn says. “I like how with this separation … it still provides for the blessing of giving gifts to each other, but in a sense it keeps Christmas pure.” She says she will carry on this tradition if she has a family.

While they don’t give gifts at the traditional time, they do display a Christmas tree. Instead of wrapped presents underneath, they place piles of books. Many of the books tell the Christmas story—some are fictional accounts told from different characters’ perspectives, while others address the spiritual time of the season. Each year they add one or two new books.

“Reading has always been important to us,” says Kathleen. When her children were younger they chose books from under the tree to read for bedtime.

They also experience Advent through a wreath with 25 little bundles tied to it. Each bundle has a Scripture verse with candy or a toy for an object lesson. As their children grew, the Advent celebrations evolved.

“Now we have deeper meditations for Advent with good singing,” says Kathleen.—Anna Groff

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