FILLING ST. NICK'S SHOES FOLLOWING IN THE STEPS OF SANTA'S ANCESTOR, THE GIFT GIVING ON DECEMBER 5 IS KEPT LOW-KEY AND WITTY THIRD Edition

• Published in: The Boston globe
• Main Author: Hakala, Sonja
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, Mass Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC 10.11.2002
• ISSN: 0743-1791

Then, of course, St. Nicholas himself changed. While it's easy to see the commonalities between the good bishop and his more familiar sleigh-riding cousin, adherents of St. Nicholas are quick to point out that America's jolly elf is really a descendant of the Norse god Thor filtered through the mind of a poet and a cartoonist. While Thor does indeed fly through the air, he prefers a chariot borne aloft by goats named Tanngrisni (Gap-Tooth) and Tanngnost (Tooth- Grinder). But it was in Clayton Moore's popular poem, "The Night Before Christmas," that St. Nicholas finally became the pipe- smoking, reindeer-driving elf who went straight to his work. 1. Left: In the Dutch tradition, shoes set out for St. Nicholas are filled with hay and carrots for his horse. Above: A teenager's Happy Feet slippers are filled with gingersnaps and Dutch chocolate. The book Little Miss Bossy,by Roger Hargreaves, takes the place of the traditional witty poem. To keep communications open, there are pencils in an oilcloth bag from Black Ink in Cambridge and a Motorola V70 mobile phone. / PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVE HENDERSON / STYLING BY JON HATTAWAY 2. To give a working man a fresh start in the morning, St. Nicholas has left lotion and gel from the Boston day spa Etant and Dutch coffee and (for later) foil-wrapped chocolates from Cardullo's in Cambridge. Wit comes from Roger Hargreaves's book Mr. Messy and wisdom from Wolfe, a wood carving by Minnie Adkins, available at the Berenberg Gallery in Boston. The boots are from Filene's at Downtown Crossing. 3. As a hint to the bishop, grandma set out her driving mocs from Filene's, and St. Nick responded with her dream car - in miniature - a red Ford Mustang convertible from Leavitt and Pierce in Cambridge. Guided by Little Miss Magic, by Roger Hargreaves, her Bing-O-Cards from Black Ink should bring her luck. Confections come by way of marzipan and (on the shelf) Kruidkoek, a traditional Dutch holiday cake, both from Cardullo's. To help grandma relax, there is incense (on top of the Kruidkoek) from Etant. 4. Little Miss Naughty, by Roger Hargreaves, sets the tone for the gifts lavished on the lucky owner of these tall black boots from Filene's. The ice bucket and champagne flutes are antiques, and the miter is from an antique Dutch St. Nicholas costume. To accompany the bubbly beverage, the bishop conveniently left Biscuit a la Champagne on a silver tray and Mozart Kugel in a violin-shaped case, both from Cardullo's.