Oh, come and take a look...

It's that time again; Sinterklaas evening! An evening full of fun, chatting and very happy children. Making surprises, long poems and, as a big surprise, the visit of Sinterklaas. An evening that many children look forward to for weeks, sometimes months. In this blog, Ineke Janssen will tell you about her family's Sinterklaas weekend. They celebrated Sinterklaas evening in a very special place this year...

Hi everyone! I'm Ineke, and I'm a mom of two boys, ages five and seven. This year, we celebrated Sinterklaas in our holiday home in Moreira. It's a cozy old Spanish fishing village on the Costa Blanca. We usually visit here two or three times a year. Recently, we haven't been able to do much in the Netherlands due to the current circumstances. So, my partner and I thought it would be fun to get away for a few weeks in December for a change. This is something we normally never do. We've always celebrated Sinterklaas with the whole family in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible this past Sinterklaas due to the restrictions, so we decided to take a little break. 

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

Once on our way, my sons started asking questions about Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas). They thought it was strange that we were going to Spain, while Sinterklaas comes to the Netherlands from Spain. Try explaining that! They also wondered how the Pieten (Saint Nicholas' helpers) could bring their presents all the way to Spain. This is not a problem, of course, since enough Pieten have stayed behind in Spain especially for the children. They were very happy with this, because they are secretly looking forward to the presents, of course.

After a quiet day of relaxing at home, the moment finally arrived: December 5th. Our sons woke up early and went to the living room as quickly as possible, where they found a trail of gingerbread cookies and sweets. They followed the trail to their shoes, which were full of presents and treats. They were thrilled that the 'pietjes' (Sinterklaas' helpers) had visited. They happily and contentedly played with their new toys all day, unaware that Sinterklaas and his helpers would be visiting again that evening. 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 a loud banging on the front door. Of course, our little ones sprinted to the door as fast as they could to catch a glimpse of Sinterklaas and his helpers, but it was in vain. What they did find was a large bag full of presents. Delighted and surprised, we started our 'pakjesavond' (gift evening), right here in sunny Spain!

It was a very successful day and our children loved it. I'm afraid we now have to receive a visit from Sinterklaas in Spain every year, which daddy and mommy don't mind at all, of course! All in all, it is definitely recommended to celebrate the holidays in a different place for a change. Absolutely worth a try!