The Two Are Not the Same

It has been busy since the last time I wrote.  There has been a piano recital...

And over the weekend there were sleepovers for the kids and a birthday party to go to.  There was also ice to scrape off our cars in the morning!

 But the real excitement has been brewing over here for the last few weeks since Sinterklaas arrived in Holland from Spain on his steam boat.  I wrote a bit about the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas in my Delft post and also this post.  For the last few weeks, Jeremy and Elizabeth have been leaving their shoes out for a special treat each night from the Zwarte Piets (Sinterklaas's helpers).  Last week, Elizabeth got to bring a shoe to school to leave overnight.  When the children came in the next morning, they were happy to find a surprise in their shoes...an invisible ink pen left by the Zwarte Piets.:)

On Monday, Jeremy and Elizabeth got to participate in the Dutch tradition of gift giving on this special Day when Sinterklaas goes all around Holland leaving gifts for girls and boys on the evening of December 5.  Both Jeremy and Elizabeth were given a name of a classmate in secret (similar to Secret Santas), and they were also given a list of small items their secret person would enjoy.  A money limit was set of no more than 7 euros and 50 cents.  They each had to write a poem for their person in class, purchase small gifts to wrap and then disguise their gifts inside a box decorated to look like something else.  They had a ton of fun making the boxes...but maybe a little glue would have looked better instead of tape!! LOL!!

Jeremy's person really likes the XBox...

 gifts wrapped up inside...

 Poem on the outside so the class has to guess who the package belongs to.  Jeremy decided to go with a "free verse" poem.:)

 Here was what Elizabeth brought in...

 Her person liked Legos, and her wrpaped gifts were placed inside.

 Both kids put their packages inisde a black plastic bag to take to school so no one would see who brought what.:)  When we arrived at school, we saw that the red carpet had been rolled out for Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Piets!!  You can click here for more information on Sinterklaas and how this tradition came to Holland.  It is interesting to see who Sinterklaas ( Saint Nicholas) is a patron saint to ( I was quite surprised to read about his story and who he all helped in his life)!!  The link is definitely worth the read and explains the Dutch traditions surrounding this special day.:)

 The whole school assembled outside to wait for Sinterklaas to arrive!  Lots of music was playing and the kids were getting excited!!

 Some of the younger children had made special Zwarte Piet (Black Piet) hats.:)

 And finally, we saw Sinterklaas poke his head out of one of the windows of the school!!

 The Zwarte Piets came to escort Sinterklaas downstairs so he could talk to all the students.:)

 Can you tell which one is "Selfie Piet"?:)

 They carry pepernoten in their sacks to pass out to all the children.:)

 That afternoon, we had a friend over for some Christmas cookie baking...

 And on Monday night, Sinterklaas sent a text directly to Guy's phone.  Good thing Elizabeth's friend spoke Dutch and could translate the message for us.  Sinterklaas had left a gift for the kids outside one of the doors to our house....

 And the kids were so excited when they found out they received Dutch bikes from Sinterklaas!!  Jeremy will need a bit of practice getting on and off of his bike...it is a bit tall!:)

 Elizabeth was thrilled to have a Dutch bike with a transporter carrier and a crate!:)

 Here is a picture of Elizabeth's surprise from school. Her friend knew she plays the piano...

 The poem her friend wrote about her...

 And her special treat inside.:)

I wasn't able to get a picture of Jeremy's as he left his box at school...but he was happily surprised by the Pokemon cards he received!!  I don't think those things are ever going to go out of style!!!

I was quickly corrected by my Dutch friend that Sinterklaas and Christmas are not related to each other.  Most Dutch people do not put their Christmas tree up until after Dec. 5.  I thought that Sinterklaas was just part of the Holiday festivities, but my friend told me that it is very separate from Christmas.  Many Dutch families only give gifts on Dec. 5 and celebrate Christmas with getting together with family and friends without exchanging gifts on that day.

I am learning so much about the Dutch culture while we are living here.  Too bad I cannot convince my own kids that since we are in Holland, we should only give one gift on Dec, 5 and no more gifts on Christmas!!  They didn't really go for that idea!! LOL!!

But, make no mistake, Sinterklaas Day and Christmas are not the same!:)

Unitl next time, Doei!:)