Sinterklaas

We celebrated Sinterklaas on December 5th. This year we got a bit more into the traditions than past years. Andy was out running some errands Saturday morning and happened up Sinterklaas making some rounds. So, he came back home to grab Audrey and I and we found the next spot Sinterklaas had moved to. Rachel joined in for a bit on the festivities and with some coaxing sat on Sinterklaas' lap. From the picture below you can tell why I'll never pay for Rachel to sit on Santa's lap! :) Audrey and Rachel both received wrapped gifts from Sinterklaas while we visited him.

Then that evening we exchanged gifts amongst each other. It made a lot more sense to do all the gifts here, rather than haul them back and forth from the States. As we were unwrapping our gifts from each other we heard a few knocks on the door and went to investigate...

The girls definitely had fun. Although Audrey wasn't too into opening her gifts, but Rachel was more than willing to help anyone that would let her. :) We certainly made a mess:
I have decided there are things I like about Sinterklaas and things I don't care for as well. I love the idea of welcoming him into the town and the fun of having the children leave their shoes out for treats each night for a few weeks (kind of replaces stockings). I love how the Zwarte Piets are just milling around town several weeks before the Dec. 5th passing out treats to the kids. It definitely has it's bonuses. I think my only complaint would be Sinterklaas bringing the gifts in the evening. The girls didn't have time to play with most of their toys that evening because it was time to head for bed. But it wasn't a big deal to them, so maybe it doesn't matter... I just remember having all Christmas day to enjoy my toys, so I guess the traditions I'm used to are favored. And the girls have the best of both worlds this year, because Santa Claus will be visiting them in Texas. Next year though, we'll be back to just Santa Claus. The girls have definitely enjoyed playing with their new toys this past week. It was so much fun to see Rachel's excitement with her gifts. Next year I'm sure Audrey will get more into it.