another horriday....

Today is St. Nicholas day, and these things in the picture are suddenly on balconies all over Peter's neighborhood. And yes, when this day rolls around, the good kids get a little present from 'Nikolo' himself. Warping him into Santa Claus is something I find horrific.

Santa the Usurper, in other words. Silly Austrians... I mean really... every child knows that it is Baby Jeebus who brings the presents on the 24th....

And in the Netherlands, St. Nicholas is always accompanied by six to eight Black Men. As he lives in Spain, you see... not the North Pole. And they used to be his slaves, but that meme changed some time ago.

I know I have posted this before, but David Sedaris' reading of his short story 'Six to Eight Black Men' always delights me, and the videos are hilarious. So indulge me, please, and if you hadn't heard it, it's in three parts, and well worth the fifteen minutes to see them all.