December 6 every year is the feast day of St. Nicholas in the Greek Orthodox litugical calendar. Many of you who have followed my blog from the beginning know that St. Nicholas is one of my favorite saints. He is also the model for the current legend of Santa Claus.
It isn't the presents that make St. Nicholas one of my favorites. It is his legacy of sharing, of charity, of caring for and service to those less fortunate. I admire and respect this habit, practice and trait in all men. I am a firm believer in the wisdom that it takes an entire village to raise a child and that we are all collectively responsible for the well-being of others. I try to do whatever possible to help those less fortunate whenever I can in my personal life. It's the act of practicing what you preach. It's just a part of the man that I am. Fortunately, my boyfriend is the same. No surprise there, it's probably one of the attractions that brought us together in the first place.
Our first Christmas season together as a couple, in 2009, we hosted a nude social in my apartment the Sunday closest to St. Nicholas Day and asked that each of our guests bring a new toy to be given to a charity for a needy child. Twelve men attended (including us) and we collected twelve gifts. In 2010, our first year in our new townhome, we had nineteen friends and the same number of presents. Last year, 2011, we had 26 men and 26 donations. This weekend will be our fourth year of our St. Nicholas tradition.
Our custom now extends beyond just St. Nicholas Day. Last year, we added another worthy cause and held another nude party to encourage our naked buddies to assist us. We hold this second social during the summer. It's a way of combining our committment to helping with our nudist lives and having fun in the process. Our small part to make this big world a better place. It's best to give than to receive.
Happy St. Nicholas Day!