Oh, come see...

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

Hello everyone! My name is Ineke and I am the mother of two boys aged five and seven. This year, we celebrated Sinterklaas in our holiday home in Moreira. This is a cozy old Spanish fishing village on the Costa Blanca. We can usually be found here two or three times a year. Of course, we haven't been able to do much in the Netherlands lately due to the circumstances we all have to live in right now. That is why my friend and I thought it would be nice to go away for a few weeks in December to change things up this year. This is something we normally never do. In recent years, we have always celebrated Sinterklaas with the whole family in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, this was not possible due to the measures taken during Sinterklaas and that is why we decided to take a break.

Last Friday, December 3rd, the four of us flew to Alicante. The trip went well. From the airport, we drove to our house in Moreira in a rental car. An 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.

Once on the road, my sons started asking questions about Sinterklaas. They found it strange that we were going to Spain, while Sinterklaas goes from Spain to the Netherlands. Explain that! They also wondered how the Petes could bring their gifts all the way to Spain. This is of course not a problem, because enough Petes have stayed in Spain, especially for the children. They were very happy about this, because of course they are secretly looking forward to the gifts.

After a quiet day of relaxing in the house, the moment had finally arrived. December 5th. Our sons woke up early and went as quickly as possible to the living room, where they found a trail of gingerbread cookies and candy. They followed the trail to their shoes full of gifts and treats. They were thrilled that the Pietje had come. Full of joy and satisfaction, they played all day with their new toys. Not knowing that Saint Nicholas and the Pieten would return 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 knock on the front door. Of course, our little ones ran as fast as they could to the door to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus and his Pieten, but it was in vain. What they found was a large bag filled with gifts. We started our holiday evening, delighted and surprised, in wonderful Spain!

It was a very successful day and our children loved it. I'm afraid we'll have to receive Sinterklaas from Spain every year from now on, which, of course, doesn't bother mom and dad at all! Overall, it is highly recommended to celebrate the holidays in a different place for a change. It's definitely worth a try!