It’s crazy to think we are only a few weeks away until the good old Santa Claus will be upon us. Eating too many cookies and drinking far too much as he delivers presents to all you lovely people.
What I love about Christmas is all the different traditions that take place around the world.
What traditions do you celebrate at christmas?
Part of my heritage is Dutch, so we celebrate Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas is also known to the Dutch children as Saint Nicholas. A jolly man with a long white beard and bright red cape and red miter. Sinterklaas arrives Mid November on a steam boat filled with gifts and his helpers called ‘Piet’ (Peter). These Piet’s are all covered in soot and wear brightly coloured clothes.
“Image from google”
This lovely tradition now means the children can put a shoe next to their chimney or back door . Awaiting their gifts or little treats from Sinterklaas as he rides across the rooftops on his beautiful white horse Amerigo.
“Images from google”
Traditional sweets
The traditional treats for this are gingerbread men, spiced biscuits, marzipan and chocolate letters. This can be baked by yourself, filling your house with amazing smells or if you’re not a baker then they can be brought.
Here is a recipe for pepernoten biscuits: A tasty spiced biscuit.
5th December
The holiday itself is celebrated on 5th December every year – so we have just celebrated this last weekend. Where families get together to share gifts and eat delicious food. The children sing songs to Sinterklaas filled with cheer as they await to see if he leaves a gift for them outside their front doors.
Sinterklaas is not just for the young children, older children and adults also enjoy his presence. With a tradition of buying a gift for a specific person who they have chosen by picking a number. From there each gift is wrapped and poems are sometimes added to the present. These contain funny stories, sayings and anecdotes that can mock the person who the present is for.
Sinkterklaas is a beautiful Christmas tradition that is enjoyed by all ages and we as a family are grateful to be part of this warm hearted celebration.
I would love to hear about your Christmas traditions you share with your family. Check out our social media pages as we will be sharing a special post where you can all share these with everyone.
