I long ago stopped minding people lighting up their houses in late November- they aren't trying to sell me something, they're just trying to drive the dark away. It's a pretty primal response! My candles will probably go into the window this weekend!

My large, hulking teenagers still enjoy the chocolate, fruit and nuts that appear in their shoes on St. Nicholas day. They don't put their shoes out or anything lame like that, you understand- but they do love the goodies that magically appear wherever they threw their shoes! The fruit tends to be the kind they would never normally get- star fruit, pomegranates, papaya- whatever is available on the 5th!