The Expat Guide to the Dutch Crazy Season

As the crazy season gets going here are some older blog posts to help expats come through the other side sane and relatively calm.

First things first, an expat in the Netherlands always needs to get used to the Sinterklaas thing. Suck it up because it will happen regardless of whether you approve of Sint's helpers, the sugar feasts, and the fact that children are literally bouncing off walls at this time of the year. Sinterklaas will arrive this Saturday on his boat full of Zwarte Pieten and presents and you can't stop it (times and dates in your town here). And let's face it, why would you want to? It's fun. Honestly. If you have children it is.

Best thing to do is read up on it, accept it and then join in. As soon as the good Sint heads back to Spain, the Dutch dump their Zwarte Piet costumes and start to prepare for Christmas.

Here are some posts from the archive to catch up on about Sinterklaas and Christmas:

5 December - It's a Dutch Thing - the post in which I explain the essential tools for a successful Pakjesavond

From the Dutch Sinterklaas to Christmas - the post in which I explain the relief at transitioning from my lesser known holiday (Sinterklaas) to my centre of expertise (Christmas)

Passing on Festive Traditions - the post in which I explain to my dual nationality child the difference between Sinterklaas and Father Christmas

Eight Tips Series: Shopping in the Netherlands - the post in which I give life saving advice for the gift buying frenzy that you will have to do in the next few weeks.

Christmas Tree Top - Dutch Style - the post in which I explain that the Dutch don't do fairies or angels when it comes to Christmas tree toppings and you may need a safety helmet throughout the festive period if you top your tree Dutch style. You have been warned.

Rent or Adopt a Christmas Tree - the post in which I explain that you have options when it comes to putting that Christmas tree up.

Making Christmas Just Like Christmas - the post in which I explain Christmas can be recreated using your local expat shop.

Home for the Holidays - in which I sympathise that Christmas can be an emotional time for an expat

Gezellig Dining - where I share my first Dutch Christmas dining experience

So that's it - an archive of Sinterklaas celebrations and Christmases gone by. Enjoy!

Gift Ideas Crafted by Creative Expats (1): Softies from La Petite Lulu

As promised here is the first post on ideas for Christmas gifts (or 5 December) courtesy of creative expats.

Meet Beckett the Bassett Hound -
soon to be welcomed into the van
Mulligen household
(c) La Petite Lulu

First up - La Petite Lulu's wonderful handmade soft toys for babies and children. Unbeknown to my children they will each be the proud and happy owner of a unique cuddly animal on the 5th December. That's if I can wait that long to give the softies to them and not put them in their shoes before Pakjesavond. I can vouch first hand that these soft toys are amazing. They are incredibly cute, and unique.

(c) La Petite Lulu

Luana, the clever crafter of these little cuties, is an Australian currently living in California in the US. Up until March this year she called the Netherlands home, which is how I came to follow her expat adventures through pregnancy, birth and now motherhood via her La Petite Lulu blog.

Monty the Monkey - a unique
custom gift for my son
(c) La Petite Luana

All her softies are hand sewn or knitted, made from recycled fabrics and all very affordable. From dinosaurs to cars, and fairies to flowers, La Petitie Lulu has a great range for everyone. However, if your child's favourite animal or item isn't on display.... she's happy to take custom orders. That's how Monty the Monkey was born - I asked Luana if she could make a monkey and two days later she sent me a photo of her creation. You can't get a more unique gift than that!

To buy one of these little treasures head on over to her Etsy shop.

But wait, one more thing before you disappear... for readers of this blog there is an exclusive discount of 15% off La Petite Lulu's softies. Just enter the code DOUBLEBUGGY at the Etsy checkout. 

This one's made a new home
with our family but Pavel the Penguin is ready
to be adopted if you're quick
(c) La Petite Lulu

Meet Fitzroy the Frog
(c) La Petite Lulu

Little Gray Car
(c) La Petite Lulu

 There are many more amazing designs over in Luana's Etsy store!

**I would just like to mention that I am not receiving any commission for promoting any items in this blog series - I am just sharing the love for creative expats because their products are awesome!! :-)**

From the Dutch Sinterklaas to Christmas

Yet again, I find myself apologising for my blog absence. Time is once more not on my side..... Between school runs, a baby with reflux and a toddler in the house I barely have time to blow my own nose, let alone write a blog post.

However, a quick update and hopefully the start of more frequent posts again....

The last few weeks have been centred around Sinterklaas, the Dutch celebration of the birthday of Saint Nicholas. As a Brit, this celebration has taken some years to get used to but I think having children has finally integrated me. I no longer find it acceptable to use left over  Sinterklaas wrapping paper for Christmas, nor bother to ask about the whole black slave issue.... It is what it is.

My house has been full of drawings of Zwarte Pieten going down chimneys, boats made of egg boxes, pepernoten and paper shoes for weeks. My 19 month old has embraced the festivities in a way we could not have imagined. He has wandered around with permanent head attire alternating between a Zwarte Piet hat and the mitre of Sinterklaas. He points enthusiastically to the CD player with calls of "dah, dah, dah", meaning "Put the Sinterklaas CD on again please mama." (It has been played so much my husband and I have talked about a ritual burning.) My son then hums his way around the room whilst playing, stopping only to run to the shoe cupboard to get his shoe out every time the word "shoe" is mentioned in a Sinterklaas song. And believe me, that's a lot. For those not in the know, children leave their shoes out with a treat for Sinterklaas and his horse (traditionally by the chimney but let's face it most houses don't have chimneys now so our kids leave their shoes in front of the booze cupboard....) and Sinterklaas makes sure there is a present put there in return. My 19 month old has cottoned on to this very quickly indeed.

Yesterday we celebrated "pakjesavond" and to avoid that it became one big unwrapping frenzy we decided to use a die, especially created for the occasion by my husband - instead of dots there were small mitres. Throwing a six meant you could open a present. A few rounds of this with a 4 year old made us change the rules: throw a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 and you open a present. Throw a 1 and you throw again........... It cut down a whole lot on the tantrums for sure.

So now, Sinterklaas is over. The school classrooms have been emptied of boats, white horses and Black Petes. Our house has been cleared of the drawings, shoes and boats (but not quite of pepernoten which I think we'll still be eating for my birthday in March...) and Sinterklaas and his helpers are heading back to Spain. The path is cleared for the following festivity - Christmas.

The Christmas tree has been bought. Once my son is home from school the decorating will begin and I am happy to say that the British member of this household is back in her element with a celebration she knows all about.......