By the time Christmas rolls around in Luxembourg each year, there is no Santa Claus in sight--however, "St. Nicholas Day" is marked on December 6th. Beginning in the evening, a week before this date, children put their slippers in front of their bedroom doors in hopes that St. Nicholas will arrive with a small gift during the night. On the night of December 5th, children put a plate on the kitchen or dining room table, then run in the next morning to find that St. Nicholas has filled it with sweets and gifts overnight. St. Nicholas also pays visits to children in their schools. Starting in the beginning of December, streets and store windows in all the cities are brightly lighted and decorated. Christmas trees, gloriously adorned, are seen in all public squares. Out- door Christmas markets lure shoppers as well. Most folks in Luxembourg celebrate Christmas Eve with their family and friends. Midnight Mass is popular as well, and then the family gathers for supper featuring a typical Luxembourg winter menu: black pudding with mashed potatoes and apple sauce. The Midnight Mass in the Benedictine Abbey of St. Maurice and St. Maure in Clervaux (a small and charming Ardennes town) is internationally renowned and often televised nationwide. Clubs and associations also plan special events for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Some groups produce Nativity plays, with children as actors, while others perform concerts on Christmas afternoon. Traditionally in some villages, these concerts are followed by a Christmas tree auction, with profits earmarked for charity. BACK-LIMITED EDITIONS
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