Sinterklaause

It's the start of the Christmas season here in the Netherlands...

St. Nick arrived from Spain yesterday on his boat and rode his white horse through the streets. He is accompanied by his black slaves (!) named Zwaarte Piet (literally "black Peter"), who carries sacks of toys and coal. The toys are reserved for children who have behaved well during the previous year, and are placed in wooden shoes left on the back porch for this purpose. Naughty children receive a lump of coal. Now they say the Zwaarte Piet is not a slave but he gets his color from coming down the chimney. They celebrate Sinterklaause on December 5th and that is when they do gift exchanges.

Try explaining this one to a three year old. We are working on it. Now we are figuring out that her English friends and her are comparing notes about what their parents are telling them. We are all getting on the same page now. Santa Clause and Sinterklaause are cousins....

We are getting ready to have Thanksgiving with some of the other families we have met here. It will be fun to get together but then it is right into full Christmas mode.