Traditions

We have Dec 5th Sint Nicolaas so it's a big celebration. Three weeks before he arrives by steamship and we go to the harbour or watch it on National tv. Kids/people are allowed to put their shoe in front of the chimney (backdoor is fine too) till the moment it's present night (is Dec 5th). We make a surprise present for someone (real present hidden inside) and you should not know who it is. You do this with your family but at schools they do the same. If your kid is still at kindergarten you have to help out the teachers. We bake cookies (speculaas), kruidnoten (herbnuts.. very small cookies which Black Peter always threw at the kids in their houses or outside at the street.. I did not die from eating from the floor but by now most are not doing it anymore). One of my kids had her birthday at Dec 19 so we decorated the Christmas three after that date. Birthdays should be noticed, esp. with kids. The night before their birthday it was their New Years Eve so I baked "oliebollen" (kind of balls baked in oil.. heard the donut comes from that). I don't do that anymore for my youngest. Decorating the house the night before their birthday is normal too, plus they are allowed to choose what they want to eat and give to the kids in their class at that day (no candies etc is allowed anymore it has to be healthy). Christmas is not a day to give presents, we have our pyama day and we even don't cook. Mostly watch old movies and it's real relaxing. Eastern it's looking for hidden eggs plus the kids get an eastern chocolate bunny or something else. As I was young I was looking for boiled eggs, my kids are looking for chocolate eggs since nobody will eat all those boiled eggs. Each time during Eastern I think out something to do (paint eggs or something else). We don't have thanksgiving or other celebrations over here.

My children are grown up, too. I still celebrate the holidays in style, although some traditions have changed, of course. Thanksgiving isn't nearly the celebration that it used to be, since usually only one or two are here. I start decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. The decorations and the music are my two favorite things, but I like watching people shop and looking at others' decorations, etc. The two kids who live closest come to open their gifts here and stay for Christmas dinner (we always had it in early afternoon). Sometimes they stay awhile and other times they go on to other places. It's not the same as when they were kids, but it's still a special time of year.

As early as October, my mom is already hyped in decorating the house with Christmas ornaments. I think our country holds the longest Christmas Celebration that ends until the first week of January.. On Christmas Eve, the whole family is at my parents' house. All gathered in the living room, just munching on everything while waiting until 12mn. At that time, we have our Christmas Dinner. After eating, the children gather around the Christmas Tree, waiting for their names to be called for their gifts. At Christmas morning, we all go together to attend mass.