December 6th is St. Nicholas Day, also known as the Feast of St. Nicholas! St. Nicholas was a bishop in 4th century Greece who passed away on December 6, 343. He was known for selling off his own possessions and then giving the money to the less fortunate. He was also known to leave coins in people’s shoes. St. Nicholas Day evolved over the centuries as children in many European countries would leave their shoes in front of the fireplace or outside the front door at night and find gifts in them in the morning. Sound familiar to a Christmas tradition? The story of St. Nicholas gave inspiration for modern traditions associated with Santa Claus in the United States. For today, Alex letterpress printed an 90-100 year old electrotype of St. Nicholas. This was printed with red oil base ink using our Washington hand press, which was made in 1852. #SacHistoryMuseum #StNicholasDay #stnicholas #santaclaus #printing