Put Out the Boots: Very Special St. Nicholas Gifts

"Once a year, shoe polish is used and the largest pair of boots is polished until it shines" - In his song, Rolf Zuckowski sings about a day in December eagerly awaited by children in particular: St. Nicholas Day. Every year on the night before December 6, millions of small and large shoes are filled with treats and small gifts, shortening the wait for Christmas. 🎅🏻 We'll show you where the St. Nicholas tradition comes from and share some very special St. Nicholas gift ideas that will not only make children's eyes light up but also delight adults.

The History of St. Nicholas Day

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated every year on December 6 and commemorates Saint Nicholas of Myra. The bishop lived in what is now Turkey in the 4th century and, according to legend, secretly threw gold nuggets through the windows of poor families to help them. These acts form the basis of the tradition of leaving boots or stockings outside the door on the evening before St. Nicholas Day, which are then filled with St. Nicholas gifts. The custom symbolizes charity and sharing with others.

To this day, this lovely tradition has continued, and St. Nicholas Day is celebrated every year on December 6, the anniversary of Saint Nicholas's death.

Traditional St. Nicholas Gifts

The classic St. Nicholas gifts include walnuts, mandarins, oranges, apples, and small treats such as the familiar chocolate St. Nicholas figure. According to a survey, food items rank highest on the list of St. Nicholas gifts, at 69%. In recent years, small gifts such as games (45%) and books (33%) have also increasingly found their way into St. Nicholas stockings.

5 Special St. Nicholas Gift Ideas

But there are also many lovely gift ideas beyond the classic St. Nicholas gifts that can make your children's eyes light up on December 6. It doesn't always have to be a chocolate St. Nicholas figure that then (let's be honest) often spends months languishing in the sweets drawer. There are other very special gift ideas that are perfect as St. Nicholas presents. 🎁 We've picked out 5 St. Nicholas gift ideas for you that are guaranteed to surprise and fit perfectly into a St. Nicholas stocking.

1 Fun and Learning: Outdoor Buffet for Birds

Feeding birds is not only fun; children can also learn a lot while doing it. Which birds are native to our area? What do they look like? With the Outdoor Buffet, feeding our feathered friends is now even more enjoyable. In just a few steps, the cardboard box transforms into a beautiful, weatherproof bird feeder. Hang it up together in a sheltered spot in the garden, and birdwatching can begin. The Outdoor Buffet is also available for hedgehogs and squirrels. A unique St. Nicholas gift!

To the outdoor buffet for birds

2 Seed confetti in a St. Nicholas boot

Confetti is always a good idea. 🎉 And when colorful flowers grow from it, even more so! The colorful mixture of non-toxic wildflower seeds and fun seed-paper shapes builds anticipation for spring during the cold December. And if you can't wait, simply plant the growing confetti directly indoors in a flowerpot and soon enjoy colorful little flowers.

To the seed confetti

3 Sweet single flower marbles as a St. Nicholas gift

In the dark winter, a little color in the St. Nicholas boot is just the thing! You can also easily toss our cute single flower marbles in their playfully colorful packaging onto a flowerpot filled with loose soil indoors during winter. It's important to keep them nicely moist at all times; colorful wildflowers will soon grow from them.

To the single flower marbles

4 Small meal for big adventures

Native wildlife particularly needs our support during the cold season, because snow and cold often make it difficult to find enough food. With our small meals for birds, hedgehogs, and squirrels, you can distribute delicious, species-appropriate food on walks or in your garden, making many animals happy. The small meals fit perfectly in a St. Nicholas boot!

To the small meal for birds

5 Brick mold for St. Nicholas Day

Brick molds are currently very trendy. And rightly so, because they can be used in so many ways and look really good at the same time. Whether as decoration, for planting, or for storing odds and ends - the brick mold is suitable for all kinds of purposes. Filled with sweets, it makes a lovely and durable St. Nicholas gift.

To the brick mold

St. Nicholas gifts: Shining eyes on December 6

St. Nicholas Day has a long and beautiful history that symbolizes compassion. The tradition of putting our shoes outside and filling them with small gifts during the night before St. Nicholas Day is something particularly special for children every year. The boot doesn't always have to contain sweets or toys - special little gifts such as colorful flower marbles or food for our native wildlife are also perfect St. Nicholas gifts. We hope we've inspired you a little and wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Advent season!

What our customers say

Anette(03.09.2024)

Fast, hassle-free delivery. Christmas gifts without chocolate. My colleagues will be delighted, and I get to treat myself too.

Nina(27.03.2023) - (Etsy)

Very good!! Great quality and very versatile. The calendar was a gift and was very well received. I’d be happy to buy it again next year.

Janina(27.12.2022)

A dandelion to give as a gift. I used it for Christmas, and it more than fulfilled its purpose. For me, it was the nicest thing I could give anyone this year. At just €9.95, it was, as I said, truly the highlight of the evening. I love it, and so does the person who now owns it.

Claudia(19.12.2023)

The question is: will my husband get both the 4-compartment one _and_ the 6-compartment one for Christmas? Or which one should I keep for myself? My daughter saw them and wants one too... And the fact that such “old crates” were packaged so carefully and lovingly that opening the packages is a delight - thank you, urban gardeners!

Tonke(11.10.2023) - (Etsy)

Wow! The box is huge! (45 x 38.5 x 13.5 cm) And it has 24 openings on all sides. :) (You can see some of it in the pictures, but I hadn’t noticed.) It looks really good, professional, and well-maintained. I’m more than 100% sure that the contents will be as good as the appearance. It’s a gift for my mother, who lives in the countryside with a large garden and squirrels visiting and all that. She’ll love it.

Beate(9.12.2022)

I gave these wish fulfillers to my team as a little Christmas surprise. The dandelion was very well received. I also think the price-performance ratio is right. Anyone with bigger wishes should get the whole dandelion. It’s beautiful too.

Luise(15.12.2022)

I gave the fat balls for tits as a small Christmas gift. The packaging alone seems to contain so much attention to detail. The shop has many more beautiful and creative things to discover. I will definitely order here again at the next opportunity to give away more products or perhaps try some myself. I highly recommend it! :-)

Teresa(15.12.2023)

Beautiful and original Christmas cards, super-fast shipping, thank you very much!

Fleur(05.12.2019)

I ordered the seed bombs as Christmas gifts for friends and family. They were delivered quickly and packaged with care. Thank you for that. The instructions are also great. Witty writing and beautifully designed. I hung them on the packages with gift ribbon, and with a few glued-on stars, they make the perfect, original Secret Santa gift. We’ll see in spring whether things will soon become more colorful and greener here.