Yes, I know that I’m late with my post about the holidays. I might wait another month or two to upload about New Year’s Eve.
Christmas in the Netherlands is a rather quiet affair. Most people take the day to celebrate with their families and enjoy a nice meal together. The biggest difference between Christmas in the Netherlands and in the United States is the commercialization of the holiday. In the U.S. people barely get to enter the month of November before Christmas music, decorations, and advertising assaults you. Obviously there is that stuff in the Netherlands, it’s just not as aggressive.
In the Netherlands, celebrations start with Sinterklaas on the second Sunday of November. That is when St. Nicholas and Pieten arrive by boat in the Netherlands. Over the following weeks, children leave their shoes by the fireplace hoping to find treats and sweets in the morning. The 5th of December is when handmade presents are exchanged. This is a separate celebration from Christmas, some families celebrate both and some celebrate just one. While this holiday is rich in tradition, there is controversy regarding the use of black face. You can learn more about Sinterklaas and Christmas festivities from all around the world here!
My host family invited me to celebrate Sinterklaas with them. Pieten hid the presents around the house and we had to solve a riddle to find them! Luckily most of my riddle was in English and the children helped me translate what was in Dutch.
The family also invited me to their Christmas dinner, which was amazing! There was a cocktail hour during which the children sang Christmas Carols for us. For our starter we had salmon tartare. Our entree was a venison stew with mash- the venison came from a local hunter. Dessert was a meringue topped with whipped cream, a macaron, and fresh berries. I left after dessert to give the family some time together (I also was not hungry for cheese and cordials).
Christmas Eve was spent in Amsterdam, doing some last minute shopping and enjoying the sights. Some of the other au pairs and I went to De Krijtberg church for some traditional Dutch carols. Admittedly, I was not able to sing along but I was able to identify the tunes.
On Christmas morning the other au pairs and I had a nice brunch together and exchanged little gifts. We spent the day lounging around and watching movies. Overall, Christmas was a nice quiet affair.
I decorated my little apartment. I got a Christmas tree from the market and hung up all the cards I received. Mom and Dad even sent me a nice little Christmas package!
The Muggle Nanny 