Saint Nicholas visits nearly every German home

Yesterday, children in Germany celebrated the visit of Saint Nicholas. Even though he dresses in a similar outfit to Santa Claus, they are actually different people. Historically, the real Saint Nicholas used to leave gifts in people's shoes and that turned into the custom Germany enjoys today every December 6th. Children clean their boots the night before the kind man arrives to show they've been well behaved. Naughtly children traditionally get a piece of wood in their boots while sometimes Saint Nicholas' sinister companion Knecht Ruprecht pays them a visit and gives them a lump of coal.