🥾 Saint Nicholas Day 2026Every country
When is Saint Nicholas Day 2026?
Saint Nicholas Day 2026 is on Sunday, December 6. Children put their boots or shoes out on the evening of Saturday, December 5 and find small gifts in them in the morning.
By the Gift DeskUpdated
Saint Nicholas Day in the US
41days to go
Sunday, December 6, 2026
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Saint Nicholas Day 2026 and 2027, by country
December 6 is the feast of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the bishop behind Santa Claus. In Germany, Austria, eastern France and the Netherlands it's a gift day of its own, small and sweet, three weeks before Christmas. In the Netherlands the big evening is Sinterklaas, December 5.
| Country | 2026 | 2027 | Rule and how it’s kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| The USSt. Nicholas Day | Kept by some families, often of German, Dutch or Central European heritage: shoes out on the night of December 5. | ||
| The UKSt Nicholas Day | Not widely kept. | ||
| CanadaSt. Nicholas Day | Kept by some families, as in the US. | ||
| FranceSaint-Nicolas | Kept mostly in the north and east (Lorraine, Alsace), with gingerbread and parades. | ||
| GermanyNikolaustag | Children put a boot out on the evening of December 5 and find sweets and a small gift in the morning. | ||
| SpainSan Nicolás | Not widely kept. | ||
| ItalySan Nicola | Kept in some places: the patron saint of Bari, and a gift-bringer in Trieste and parts of the north-east. |
What goes in the boot
Small things: a chocolate Nikolaus, clementines, nuts, gingerbread, a little book or a pair of fun socks. It's a stocking-stuffer budget, not a second Christmas.
Saint Nicholas Day gift ideas
Questions people ask
What day is Saint Nicholas Day 2026?
Sunday, December 6. It's December 6 every year.
When do you put your shoes out for Saint Nicholas?
On the evening of December 5, so they're filled by the morning of December 6.
Is Saint Nicholas the same as Santa Claus?
Santa Claus grew out of him: the Dutch Sinterklaas became the American Santa Claus in the 1800s. In Germany and the Netherlands both still exist, on different days.
Is Sinterklaas on December 5 or 6?
In the Netherlands the presents come on the evening of December 5, pakjesavond. In Belgium, Germany and France it's the morning of December 6.