Anyone else putting their boots out for St Nicholas tonight?

[LustigLustig]

My DC are busy polishing their boots now.
They have been super-excited all day. We have stockings from Father Christmas on Christmas Eve too, so St Nicholas won't bring much -
apple, nuts, chocolates, and our new tradition of a Christmas jumper.

Anyone else? We leave our boots at the front door, so I might have to run down and put them out first thing in the morning - bit worried about them either being stolen or eaten by foxes (do foxes like chocolate and nuts?)

[cowssheephens]

Thank you step

[steppemum]

Oh peek - we have had kruidnotjes and gevuld spekulaas today too.
My SIL is ace, she sends us a Sinterklaas parcel every year with chocolate letters in. It was a bit late this year, so I had to use Freddo frogs the first night the shoes went out.

[QueenofWhatever]

Yes, doing it here. DD is nearly 13, but I don’t think there’s an age limit! Chocolate coins (from Lidl, natch) and Aero hot chocolate. She’s been wanting some for ages, but I’m not a fan of junk food so this’ll be an extra treat.

North German so for us it’s Sant Niklas. Great story LilianGish.

[steppemum]

btw - sorry for a being non Dutch/German explaining this, please feel free to tell me I am wrong!

[Santasbigredbobblehat]

I lived in Germany as a child and we used to visit Holland a lot. I remember getting a present from St Nicholas in the square and he was accompanied by black Peter, which is a tradition I assume they’ve stopped?

[MaryWortleyMontagu]

Dd has her stocking up and sankt nikolaus will be paying a visit tonight!

[PeekabooPoo]

Cowssheephens - I will probably make a mess of explaining this as my dh cannot comprehend it despite many years if me describing it to him every december so I've got a link to a website www.learndutch.org/lessons/sinterklaas-tutorial-explained/

But basically sinterklaas is our big thing instead of father christmas. He appears on a steamboat in November (he comes from Spain obviously) and he's helpers called zwarte Piet (contentious issue as its white people blacked up). Sinterklaas rides a dappled white horse over the rooftops and delivers presents into a shoe left under the radiator ( you peave a carrot for hs horse) in the days leading upto 6 December (just tiny presents like a new pencil, or a satsuma, etc ). He has a book which says if you've been naughty or good (if you've been bad zwarte Piet will hit you with his bunch of sticks, if you've been good you get your presents) . the presents have a poem attached to it all about you and are often funny.

[AdoraBell]

I didn’t know about this, never been to Germany.

at bigger feet, bigger shoes

[Justkeepleft]

Santa- nope has not stopped. It is a bug debate every year. There are now some Piets who are just sotty not blackface. It is bizarre

We are living in NL so Sint dropped his sacks at the door and banged on the window this evening. He visited the school today too. Shoes have been set weekly since he arrived from Spain about 2 weeks ago.

[Glumglowworm]

lilian that’s such a lovely story!

[endehors]

Zwarte Piet does seem to be contentious and the blacking of faces. Some people/shops seem to have dropped the 'zwarte' part. We also prefer to call him just Piet

[Longdistance]

Mikulás comes to this house. Kept the tradition going from my family. Mainly chocolates, small gifts here.
Dh doesn’t get it, but I also have a name day too.

I used to love going to Germany this time of year. The hotels I’d stay in would leave a boot filled with chocolates as a gift. I used to jump around like a big kid if I got one, and my colleagues being Brits were

[Longdistance]

Its just dawned on me... Krampus...

[AdaHopper]

Don't forget Belgium! He comes during the night of the 5th to the 6th here.
Here he leaves the presents in a mess by the fireplace. They are not wrapped and there are chocolate figures and coins everywhere.
Also black pete (zwarte Piet) plays with the toys sometimes.

[Phosphorus]

peekaboo , we have a Playmobil black Peter!

Dressing up for families in the know sounds really cool.

We played St Nikolaus for our Dutch neighbours. We used to sneak round and bang on the door during supper, then the children would find the gifts outside.

[abouttimeforanotherone]

Oh my goodness, I have never heard of this tradition before, this is so weird reading this thread.
I have just realised maybe this is why I used to get nuts, sweets, a satsuma and a small toy in my Christmas stocking. I can remember my mum telling me that's what she got when she was little.
I'm British born & bred but my late mum's ancestors were German, and came to live in London in the 1850's. Somehow this tradition must have stayed with the family, mustn't it, and been adapted and passed down? Well I never.
What a coincidence that today I put a dish on the sideboard and filled it with nuts and sweets, next to the bowl of oranges I bought today as well... Must be something in my DNA

[jugotmail]

We are putting ours out tomorrow. I lived in Germany as a child and Black Peter scared the living daylights out of me. When I went to the markets one year the hotel left us all a chocolate St Nicholas outside our doors - cue many confused Brits and lots of explaining!

[Santasbigredbobblehat]

So it’s still debated (black Peter), that’s interesting. My husband looked at me like I was mad when I tried to explain it to him a few years ago. He also finds my Barbarazweig and Weihnachtspyramide a bit odd too, but I love German/Dutch traditions.

[vdbfamily]

My kids have just been and found their boots full. They think they are very lucky to have a German/Czech dad and English mum as they get the best of both traditions. They get to open some presents on Christmas eve which they also love. We also light the Weihnachtspyramide for main meals in December so most evening meals are candlelit which is my favourite bit of all.

[Sludgecolours]

Tbh Santasbigredbobblehat , as a white Brit abroad, I find Zwarte Piet a very difficult concept indeed. My dd's best friend is Rawandan. Imagine our joint discomfort when standing together as parents (much more so for them than for me) watching our dds receive presents at primary school from Sinterklaas and someone who was obviously the sports teacher blacked up wearing an Afro wig and oversized red lips acting "the dimwit stupid fool". Deeply, deeply offensive and uncomfortable. I know it is seen as "harmless tradition" when you are raised with it but I would respectfully suggest that this is a tradition that seriously needs readdressing ... .

I know it is changing in some countries so that Zwarte Piet is covered in what is supposed to be chimney soot but given that the character has its origins in the slave trade as this article explains I am still not comfortable with it.

I am sorry if that offends some people on this thread but that is my honest view point.

Other than that, the feast of St Nicolas/Sinterklaas is a fantastic tradition, but only the Saint himself and his horse (known in Flemish speaking Belgium as Slecht-weer-vandaag) are visiting my house today !

[lovelyjubilly]

We did it last night. I found out about the shoes tradition when I was on a German exchange at this time of year aged 13.

We have added our own element too though. To encourage the idea of generosity in our dc, along with their shoes they leave out some toys for St Nicholas to take with him to redistribute to other children. They're usually toys that they've finished with and we usually pass them on to friends with younger dc. The sweets in their shoes are a 'thank you' from St Nick.

[elland]

This is amazing! I can't believe I've never heard anything about this before.

[Santasbigredbobblehat]

Oh sorry sludge, when I said I loved German traditions I didn’t mean I wanted to continue that particular one! More that I like the shoes being left out etc. I quite agree with you. I was surprised it was still a thing as I lived in Germany in the 80s and assumed they didn’t do it anymore.

[Helspopje]

Good list :)

[Sludgecolours]

Helspopje

No worries Santasbigredbobblehat! Apologies in return - knew you didn't mean it like that!! - was responding to it being a subject of debate ifyswim!