Sinterklaas/ st Nicolas etc

[klara]

ANyone else celebrating St Nicholas today?

My first "proper" one with the children. I shall sit and observe and try and join in the songs with my dreadful Dutch....

We've been celebrating Sinta Klas for the last week already, we're in Belgium, my eldest dd is not yet three and this is the first year that she's been aware of Sinta Klas. She's met him three times in the last week! And once Sinta Klas is over, it will Father Christmas, especially as we're going back to England for Christmas!

Where are you Klara?

Yes, we do! Even made my own speculaas letters, having forgotten to get the chocolate ones sent over... How's that for trying to keep the tradition going!

Here in Germany the kids are putting their boots out tonight. They were told in school that if the boot wasn't cleaned and polished they would only get a potato!

So what did you get for them? This year I got some traditional biscuits and a chocolate santa, some satsumas and peanuts (in shell) and a bag of gold coin chocolate to putin their boot. Used to get them a small toy or game like a card game too but their tastes have gone so expensive that they will have to wait for christmas for what they want (Nintendo games etc)

Belgo - I'm in Holland, near Amsterdam.

We did a few pressies in the shoe in the run up to yesterday...a car, a thomas train and a DVD.

Yesterday he got a dinosaur, another thomas train (gordon!) a book, some sweeties and helped himself to all his little brother's presents too....well he's only 8 months old..(i look after it for him mummy)

To be fair we won't be doing santa as well as we have told him that SInterklaas and santa have to divide the world up between them and that if he is at granny's house Santa will come at Xmas, otherwise it's SInterklaas if he's at home in Holland. Of course he will get a present from us at Xmas (but only something small), but otherwise it will just get out of hand! The tradition here seems to be to give the big pressie now and just a small one at Xmas...anyway - grandparents always go mad and spoil them at Xmas anyway.

We ate sausages and Borenkool....very Dutch!

And don't forget Zwart Piet...