December 6th is St. Nicholas Day in many European countries. The tradition seems to have begun in the Netherlands and Belgium where boys and girls put shoes out on the windowsill and hope to find goodies and gifts there in the morning. The modern day Santa Claus is derived from this early "Sinterklaas". Making wooden shoes seemed like a daunting task for first graders, so instead they made paper shoes which they set out for Sinterklaas in the hopes that he'd bring these American children a special treat. I left him a special message assuring him that these lovely American children would not ask for treats again next year, but they'd appreciate a little something this one time! When they arrived the morning of the 6th they were somewhat surprised to find clementines and a few candy treats!
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