One year in Belgium! Last year, the morning after we celebrated Thanksgiving with all of both of our families in Texas, we boarded our flight to DC and then an overnight to Brussels. We arrived a few days before Sint Niklaas Day, a holiday we’d never celebrated before. After being heralded by banners and dazzling displays at every chocolate shop, the kids gamely put out their boots and found them filled with poprock chocolates and kindereggs on December 6th.
This year both kids posted letters to St. Nicholas. Eloise asked for several expensive Lego sets. Isaac asked for chocolate eggs. Both kids received chocolates. To celebrate St. Nicholas Day, we visited the Belgian town Sint-Niklaas up near Antwerp yesterday. We even ran into my friend Jenn there with her family, which, shockingly, is not the first time I’ve run into Jenn in some random Belgian town! Amazing.
We visited the St. Nicholas statue in front of the beautiful town hall, toured the Sint-Niklaas Cathedral and wandered the pedestrian shopping street. We got some coffee, hot chocolate and pralines to go and ate them in front of the House of Saint Nicholas while Dutch kids sang the seasonal Sint-Niklaas song as part of a scavenger hunt. It was all very festive in a typically subdued 2020 way.
As it got dark (so…4:30pm) we toured the grounds around Kasteel Walburg, where we looped the moat, enjoyed some fanciful playgrounds and pet the stray park cats. Then it was time to drive home in the dark, watch the old movie The Santa Clause, and boot our boots out for goodies!
Our Belgian neighbors explained to us recently that Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus are actually two totally different people. Saint Nicholas comes in a boat from the Mediterranean with his wildly politically incorrect helper Zwart Piet, while Santa Claus comes from the North Pole with a sleigh and reindeer. Historically, Saint Nicholas lived in Turkey around A.D. 300 and gave generous gifts to those in need. Our neighbors said their children receive presents only on Saint Nicholas Day, while Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are for fun and feasting with friends and family.
Last night I had an idea after we put the boots out and the kids into bed. A social experiment! I love doing these. I put my and Chris’ slippers out with the kids’ boots and tucked a big chocolate Saint Nicholas Chris got from work into Chris’ slippers. When the kids bounded into our room in the morning, I stretched and said, “Where are my slippers? Oh yeah, I put them out with your boots.” We all went downstairs and the kids made a ruckus excavating kindereggs from the toes of their boots, then turned to the slippers. “Dad! Look! You got a big chocolate St. Nicholas! Mom! You… you didn’t get anything.”
“I didn’t? Oh. That’s ok,” I said neutrally.
Eloise’s eyebrows shot up in alarm and she ran over to me with one of her kindereggs in her outstretched hand. “Awww, thank you! You don’t have to do that, sweetie,” I said.
Isaac came over and whispered in my ear: “It’s ok. I know you’re St. Nicholas.”
So there you have it. One kid brought me gifts and one kid brought me truth. Pretty much what I expected, although I expected it the other way around. Although when I offered Eloise her egg back she took it immediately and promptly ate it. Ha!
Anyway, Happy Sint-Niklaas Day! Here’s hoping next year is also full of love, family and chocolate, and yet dissimilar in every other way.
Kasteel van Zellaer
A Little Aloha
Lisboa, Calm Port
Bavarian Customs
Love this—like I was right there w/you❤️
maybe someday it’ll be possible to travel again and you can visit!
Well written, as always! And great commentary on the skeleton statues!
Thanks, mom!