Come and see...

It's over; Package evening! An evening full of fun, good conversation and very happy children. Making surprises, long poems and as the big surprise visited by Sinterklaas. An evening that many children have been looking forward to for weeks, sometimes even months. In this blog, Ineke Janssen will tell you about her family's Sinterklaas weekend. They have celebrated package evening this year in a very special place...

Hej alle sammen! Jeg er Ineke og jeg er mor til to drenge på fem og syv år. I år har vi fejret Sinterklaas i vores feriehus i Moreira. Det er en hyggelig gammel spansk fiskerlandsby ved Costa Blanca. Her er vi normalt to eller tre gange om året. I den seneste tid har vi naturligvis ikke kunnet gøre så meget i Holland på grund af de omstændigheder, vi alle skal leve med.Det syntes min ven og jeg derfor ville være rigtig sjovt at tage et par uger væk i december i år for en forandring. Dette er noget, vi normalt aldrig gør. Vi har altid fejret Sinterklaas med hele familien i Holland de sidste par år. På grund af restriktionerne var dette desværre ikke muligt sidste Sinterklaas, og derfor besluttede vi at tage en pause.

Last Friday, December 3rd, the four of us flew to Alicante. The trip went smoothly. From the airport, we drove in a rental car to our little house in Moreira. A short hour's drive through the mountains and along the Costa Blanca coast. It feels like coming home! The sun is shining, and with a pleasant temperature of fifteen degrees, you won't hear us complaining.

On the way, my sons started asking questions about Sinterklaas. They thought it was strange that we were going to Spain, while Sinterklaas comes from Spain to the Netherlands. Try explaining that! They also wondered how the Pietes could bring their gifts all the way to Spain. This is not a problem, of course, as there are enough Pietes who have stayed in Spain especially for the children. They were very happy about this, because of course they are secretly most looking forward to the gifts.

After a fun day of relaxing in the house, it was finally time. December 5th. Our sons woke up early and went as quickly as possible to the living room, where they found a trail of gingerbread and candy. They followed the trail to their shoes full of gifts and treats. They were ecstatic that the elves had come by. With joy and satisfaction, they spent the whole day playing with their new toys. Unaware that Sint and Pieten would come by again tonight. After dinner it was time for the poems that Sinterklaas had written for everyone. In the middle of my youngest son's poem, he was interrupted by loud knocks on the front door. Our little ones of course ran as fast as they could to the door to get a glimpse of Sint and his Pieten, but it was in vain. What they found was a large sack full of gifts. Overjoyed and surprised, we began our gift evening, right here in lovely Spain!

It was a very successful day and our children loved it. I fear that we must now receive a visit from Sinterklaas in Spain every year, which of course Dad and Mom don't mind at all! All in all, it is definitely recommended to celebrate the holidays in another place for once. Definitely worth a try!