Sinterklaas

[Blithereens]

Just wondering if anyone else celebrates this? DH grew up in the Netherlands so we do. The legend is that Sinterklaas comes to the Netherlands on a boat from Spain and leaves gifts in childrens' shoes.

A traditional gift is a chocoladeletter, chocolate in the shape of the first letter of your name. Holland at Home sell them but our names sold out this year! I made some instead as a surprise for DH. Sinterklaas isn't until the 5th but DH is working away this week so we are celebrating early. We always exchange Christmas cards on the 5th, watch Alles is Liefde (Dutch Love Actually) and have a bottle of fizz.

Happy Sinterklaas! Does anyone else celebrate traditions from other countries?

No, but it sounds great. Happy Sinterklaas!

I've got Dutch f friends here who celebrate it properly. We just do the German version which is the Nikolaus (St. Nikolas) who brings a plate or boot full of sweets and treats on the night from 5th to 6th. Only to children who have been good of course, and we're always amazed how he can single out just the right kids of German origin around here. But thereafter we do British Christmas on the 25th unlike in Germany where presents are exchanged on the evening of the 24th...

We do St Nick here. He usually brings some sweets and a few small toys. DD has asked me why St. Nick comes for some kids but not for others. Eek! I told her that now he just comes to kids who's ancestry is from where St. Nick is from. Kinda true.

St Nick in Switzerland too...you can buy special Hessian sacks in shops which are full of nuts and sweets.

You leave your shoes outside the door and if you are good they have a little sack in them.

Someone from HR comes round dressed as Santa with sweets and they bring a man with a chestnut charcoal grill up in the lift (no Health & Safety worries here) serving hot chestnuts to all the staff on four floors!

We have a lot of Dutch kids in the school so Sinterklaas is also talked about.

I had a chocolate letter on my bed last year, when I was on a training course in Amsterdam. Fantastic atmosphere and the sales start early.

DH also grew up in the Netherlands but we haven't "done" Sinterklaas since our own DCs were born.

Thanks for the reminder about the chocoladeletter....I have a bit of time tomorrow, might see what I can create!

We do it - my mum and dad lived in Holland for a few years and bought the tradition back. I do it for my little ones and have married into a different culture which has Xmas on Xmas eve - so it's really mingled!
I'll never forget the excitement of those little parcels of sweets x

Yep, we do.
The shoes need to be cleaned and put by the door. The presents are sweets and a little present (book, a little toy etc). No sack or wrapping, just the sweets and toy.

The garden centre has little chocolates with letters on the wrapping, if you need letters. Not quite the Dutch version, but close enough.

I love the St Nicholas tradition.

We do Sinterklaas and Christmas. :)

Nikolaus here - he comes on the 6th and brings some sweets and a small gift, traditionally left in the child's boot. Needs to be a welly in this house.

Yes, but we do it on the 6th and its not quite the same as the traditional Sinterklaas anymore. DC get chocolate (hollow Santa shape one) and a letter- the actual written kind, listing the good things they have done and also a few areas for improvement. DC have kind of got it mixed up with the elf on the shelf thing though, so they think that's who leaves it in their shoes, but it doesn't matter really as its just a bit of fun.

I usually try to have my christmas cards all written, to be posted or handed out on the 6th too, not sure I will manage that this year though.

Oh, it's lovely to find other people who celebrate Saint Nick! We're TTC and I really look forward to sharing the tradition with any DC we have, so thanks for sharing your ideas. We'll do Christmas as our main celebration, but it's nice to do more than one, I think, whatever shape that takes!

Found one, baroness!!!

blith, hope your wish comes true soon :)

We combine Christmas:the eve is continental, we get party food and pyjamas and a game/book/bath salts and then Christmas day is English.

We do. DD puts her wellies out

Oh and I forgot to say we don't leave the shoes by the radiator anymore, after one year when we had recently got a new boiler and I hadn't got the hang of the timer/thermostat switch yet, and the chocolates were all melted. All over their freshly cleaned and polished school shoes, grrrr.

He had to come back the following night, with new chocolates and a note to say leave the shoes by the back door from now on

On the news channel this morning, my DC were excited to see that snow was being forecast for Belgium over the next few days- must mean St. Nick is on his way!

Thank you Dili

TheXmasLogIn the perils of Saint Nick!

Did you know that Hema now deliver overseas? So next year you can all order your chocolate letters, pepernoten and Zwarte Piet costumes? Either that or I'll set up a PayPal account any take orders. :)

Is there a correct greeting that I can use for my Dutch friend tomorrow?

You can sing 'Hij komt, hij komt, de lieve goede Sint'

In Belgium the children will put their shoes and a carrot out on the 5th and open their presents on the 6th.

Another one here who celebrates Sinterklaas. Have been playing my Sinterklaas cd in the car for the past few days and singing along. Dd (6months) has no clue what is going on but is fascinated by the Pieten on the Sinterklaas journaal.

Only issue is we live in a hot country, so no fireplace or radiators so where do we put our shoes? The ac vents are way too high up, so might have to go for the backdoor and say that Piet has a special key to get in.

We are having a visit from Nikolaus this year, as we live in Germany. We leave our boots outside the front door anyway (we're in a flat), so will just leave them there. Nikolaus will visit Dd's kindergarten in the morning too, but I thought it would be fun to find a chocolatey surprise in their boots first thing.

lol!! surely theres something quick I can say, I'm not singing at her poor love - her ears will bleed.

OMG, baroness, last time I forgot to buy coffee cups (the 3-4 oz ones) from Hema, I came out with kitchen towels, swimming costume and a birthday calendar. I am sooo going to order them online if I can.

at buying half of Hema. My girls were dressed near constantly in Hema from the ages of 0-6.

Nikolaus is also visiting our house. We also have the Christkind on the 24th who brings 'German' presents (German DVDs, books, board games like Kniffel etc) and Santa Clause on Christmas day obviously. 3 times the joys of opening presents
DS knows that the Nikolaus and the Christkind only come to 'deutsche Kinder und Kinder die deutsch sprechen' and it makes sense to him. He proudly tells everyone that his mummy is deutsch. I just love all my German traditions and I use any excuse to celebrate and spoil him.