Sinterklass ~ A Timeless Tradition

Have you ever noticed that my last name is Bischof? My husbands family is a happy blend of German and Italian. I've never seen my mother-in-law use red sauce from a jar and when it comes to pizza and pasta to die for...well I've married into the right family. But back to the German side of things. There is a little holiday the Bischof children always celebrated when they were growing up. Aside from spending every Christmas Eve devouring plate loads of Waffles and Brats for dinner, they celebrated Sinterklass on the eve of December 5th.

If you are Dutch, prepare yourself for our American attempt at your holiday ;)

Even in America, some Dutch communities still celebrate this holiday town-wide with a parade where kids wait and watch for Sinterklass on his gray horse.

The way my husband grew up celebrating Sinterklass (More properly known in the Netherlands as Sint Nikolaas or Goedheiligman) was to put a pair of shoes out the night before and in the morning, Sinterklass, a man with a red hat and snowy white beard (sound familiar?) has filled them with treats. I hear my hubby and his brothers and sister would search for the largest, deepest pair of shoes they owned and they would often times put out hay for Sinterklass' horse, sometimes even putting it up on the roof. Boys will be boys. And what kid doesn't like to wake up on December 6th--three solid weeks before Christmas--to chocolates and goodies stuffed in their shoes?

When I first met my husband, as the shoes-out-the-night-before thing faded, my mother-in-law would hand each of us a mug stuffed with yummies and a Christmas ornament or pair of socks on the 6th--so its fun for kids of all ages. And now that there are plenty of grandchildren to spread the magic with, the shoes can return!

This will be the first year we celebrate Sinterklass with our kids and I am excited to tell them about it and watch them put their shoes out and when they go to bed, help Sinterklass fill the toddler size treads with dutch cookies and treats. Of course, only if they have been good ;)

Just plain Christmas fun!