Sinterklaas

The Dutch celebrate St. Nicholas (Sinterklaas) in a special way.  In the first picture, if you really focus, you can see him entering the city of Amsterdam on a boat from his home in Spain.  Everyone crowds around the Amstel River to catch a glimpse of "Sint" and his ever contraversial Zwarte Pieten.  From the time he enters the Netherlands, this year on November 17, until his feast day on the 6th of December, everyone celebrates.  Sinterklaas has his own news segment each morning, all the stores are decorated with his pictures, and children put their shoes out each night in hopes for treats from Sint's helpers.  We watched him come into town, but we didn't do the every night thing.  Bateman was so interested in this new character.  Luckily I had already purchased him a Sinterklaas costume because he wore it everywhere we went during those few weeks.  We put our shoes at the fireplace on December 5th and were excited to find treats in them the next day.

Just as quickly has he had arrived in November, the very next day every sign of Sinterklaas disappeared from all the homes, schools, and stores, and it was now time to prepare for Christmas.