:: making a mess in my kitchen
:: but managing to clean it all up in time. Sweets were ready long before company (my parents and my sistere and her family) arrived
:: a girl at college on the other side of the North Sea (Durham) that celebrated with us through Skype.
:: the mess that is part of the fun
It was a good night.
NOT A STATION 
I think I'm going to learn a lot from your blog! Greetings from Scotland!
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Sounds like a lovely evening :)I do love learning about Christmas customs from other countries. A couple of years ago we had a guest from Hungary for Christmas lunch and we introduced him to crackers, stuffing, bread sauce, Christmas pudding, roast parsnips…He was a great sport and ate everything, but he was convinced we were teasing him about having to wear paper crowns! (I did make him some Beigli so he'd feel more at home- it was delicious and I ate the rest for breakfast the next day! 🙂 )But I though Sinterklaas visited later in December. Is that different?
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Yes, officially we celebrate Sinterklaas on December 5th. But he arrives (in his steamboat) a few weeks earlier and that is a big festivity too, mostly for small children. In our extended family we do Pakjesavond on the Saturday before December 5th, so that's why we're really early this year. We, our own children and my husband and me, have another lovely evening of gift giving and fun on the 5th, just because I don't like letting that day pass without it…
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Thanks! Greetings from Holland 😉
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So Sinterklaas gives 3 days of fun- sounds good!
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Oh, even more for small children. They have celebrations at school and at every possible sport or other club they may belong too. Also it's custom to put out shoes (preferably by the fire place) a few times before the 5th and get small presents and candy that are put in there by Sint Nicolaas at night (like stockings and Santa at Christmas).It's great, but also a bit exhausting for the little ones… For most people here though, Christmas is celebrated much simpler. We do only one gift, a book or some music and most christians don't do gifts at all at Christmas.
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