St. Mikulas Day...

December 5th is St. Mikulas Day, aka St, Nickolas Day, in the Czech Republic. A travel web site gives a brief description of the day. In most places it is December 6th - don't really know why it's a day earlier here. Probably just to be different. I remember when I was very young having shoes filled with candy on the 6th of December, but I don't think that is done much anymore in the States.

Feast of St. Mikulas (Nicolas), Dec. 6: On this day, St. Mikulas roams about with his consorts, an angel and a devil. He gives small presents and candy to children to reward them for their good behavior throughout the year, while the devil chastizes children for their wrongdoings over the course of the year and gives them coal (or sometimes spankings) as a punishment. Old Town Square in Prague is a great place to watch the festivities.