Sinterklaas!

Every year I am super-excited about Christmas and The Captain comes along for the ride. This year I asked him to rate his excitement about Christmas verses his excitement about Sinterklaas. He explained to me that Sinterklaas is what all of his childhood holiday memories are of, and what he misses. So, I decided to make a real effort to create an authentic Sinterklaas celebration this year, and to try to invest more time in this as one of our family traditions.

I was busy for about a week, preparing. Of course, like any holiday celebration, hours of work burn up in consumption of minutes, but I am pleased with my efforts and the results.

We celebrated with some lovely friends here, who also celebrate their Dutch heritage. In fact, we went with them to a nearby (45 minutes away) "Holland House" where we were able to stock up on everything we needed! So, here are the results.

Working on two tutus, one for Sprout, and one for a friend.

The meal: Erwtensoep (Pea Soup) which is the traditional thing to have, along with bread and Edam cheese. For dessert, in addition to tons of snoepjes (sweets - thanks Dutch family and friends for sending them!), The Captain made griesmeel (a kind of firm pudding) and gluhwijn (spiced wine, made by my friend).

Here's a close-up of the soup which is more tasty than it is photogenic. Trust me.

It's a lot more than just peas. There's sausage, bacon, and ham chops so it's right off the menu for vegetarians like myself. In addition, you'll find celeriac (new to me), carrots, leek, parsley and celery leaves.

I made two Suprisen (presents wrapped in interesting/creative ways).

For Small Sun:

Lightening McQueen

And for The Sprout:

 

A strawberry.

We listened to Sinterklaas liedjes (songs), thanks Oma! Ate way too many sweets, opened presents from Holland, and had a wonderful time together. I think our first real effort was a success and also left room to grow for next year. :)

The Captain even wrote me a Sinterklaas poem, delivered in a fashion magazine (a favorite indulgence of mine). So, all in all, I'd say we did pretty well! A big huge thanks to Oma and L&E for supplying us with so many treats to help us celebrate.

Comments

[quietstream]

Yaaay! The cleverly wrapped presents are most fascinating of all to me. It all looks like your efforts were rewarded with real success!