St. Nicholas Bread (aka Mannele) for the holiday season is on my list for fun holiday traditions to celebrate and I just realized this popular saint's feast day is fast approaching on December 6. 

But I know very little about the recipes, how to form the breads, or their cultural significance, and yet I think they are so cute and a fun tradition to celebrate~~so I'm wondering if any TFLers bake them or know of good pictures or blogs on the internet which show how they are made (and where to buy the little pipes that are often used to decorate his figure). 

I found the 'St. Nicholas' website that shows a few pictures and recipes and I remember a wonderful bakery in San Francisco that used to sell these figural breads around this time but that's about all I've found out.

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=148 [1]

http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/recipes/alsace-mannele/ [2]

If possible, I would like to hear about personal experiences baking the breads or if your family had them and how they used in celebration or within the family.

Thanks so much.  J.