Today is Sinterklaas. Or, maybe more appropriately, it's the end of Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas is both a person and a season... I think. Sinterklaas arrives sometime at the end of November, along with his helper, Black Peter (or Schwarte Pete), and they leave papernote (little round ginger cookies) all over the place. Then Sinterklaas leaves on December 5th, and the country of the Netherlands starts to celebrate Christmas.
I know that at Sinterklaas funny gifts are exchanged (the Canadian equivalent of white elephant gifts), but there is a lot more thought and effort put into these gifts- or so it seems. From what I've observed (which isn't much), it seems that these gifts are meant to be cheap, but thoughtful. It's a chance to find creative and resourceful ways to make something that means something. I like this! Along with this, a lot of families and people share poems with each other- about each other.
Since Martin and I are now our own little family, I won't be experiencing Sinterklaas like most kids will. I don't really know the significance of how it affect daily life throughout the season, but it certainly seems like a nice way to start off the Christmas season.
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