Sinterklaas
Hetty Willeumier
©
Copyright 2024 by Hetty Willeumier
|
Photo by Michelle Zappe at Wikimedia
Commons.
|
Because
my father hailed from Holland, our December didn’t really
resemble
the festivities of our neighborhood friends. First of all... we
started
the celebration earlier; December 5th! And...
the
tradition was a
bit
different from the usual ”Jolly Old Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus
theme”
because “our friendly old man” rode a white horse;
visiting
from
Spain, on a steamboat! He was a bishop; accompanied by a dark
Moor…
the manservant; Black Piet!
This
celebration was always the highlight of my year since it called on
so
much creativity, reflection and fun!
When
I was a youngster, the idea was to “write a poem” about
every-
one
in the family... picking out details and events which could be
woven
into something funny and entertaining!
Looking
back on it now… (since I’ve kept all the poems in
scrapbooks
and
albums) we were all incredibly ingenious, astute and clever little
kids
and “motley crew”!
I
accredit this “introductory poem-writing” to the “love
of creative
writing”
I’ve carried along with me, all these seventy-two years!
To
symbolize and accent the poem, we were to attach “a little
present”
(always under $2)
.
As
the years sped on, the four sisters married; having children of
their
own.. so “others” were included into the mix/the
equation!
(During
our childhood years, every year, we always had “one special
friend”
invited as well... which really gave another spin, spice and
perspective”
to the whole affair and fun! To see it “through their eyes”
seemed
to expand and embellish the whole event!)
It
was sometime (when the grandchildren arrived)... that we adapted
the
custom; “changed it to: one present and poem/per person”!
We
picked
a name out of a hat and THAT became our transformed
experience!
One sister always kept the list, so we could always
cross-reference
the names, later on (I needed the information for
my
”archival collection” which I put on flash drives for
everyone!
Traditional
food was always bought by my mother (who was Scottish)
at
a Dutch Deli nearby (we were living in Vancouver after moving from
Montreal
in 1960)
.
Chocolate
initials of our first names (“H”/”L”/”C”/”W” for example),
lots
of marzipan-filled pastry, German sausage... kale and potatoes
(which
my mother put in the cuisinart and mashed together) was the
staple
dinner. It was called ”Boerenkool”(“farmer’s
cabbage”) and
was
delicious with melted butter and chunks of sausage!
Our
memorable evening would start with a huge white pillow case
(where
we all tossed in our presents and poems). The items were
supposed
to have been written by St. Nick himself… “supposed to
be
anonymous”
so were often “highly disguised and creatively written”!
The
full pillow case was then;set outside on the front porch and door-
step
( of which we, children “weren’t supposed to know”!).
Later, the
next
door neighbor, would quietly steal over; rapping on the door…
pretending
to be our ”Sinterklaas”!
The
“idea” was that he was hovering on our rooftop with his
servant
and
horse; awaiting our singing! We had lots of traditional songs and
after
gathering around the piano... would sing them out lustily (with
many
a giggle!) My father (his pockets full of “taai-taai”
cookies
(delicious
spicey chewy nuggets) would perodically thrust a fistful of
Them;
”as if tumbling from down the chimney”!
We’d
all scamper (dogs and cats a-like) collecting (like little squirrels)
our
spoils; making little piles!
We’d
sing again... songs of “Thank you! We know you’re up
there!
We’ve
been good!” etc. (One of the songs claimed that “the good
kids
got
candy; the bad ones got none” (and/or sticks and coal)
.
The
night before, we’d placed our shoes before the fireplace...
filled
with
sugar cubes and carrots for the horse and a “little something”
for
the two men. We were hoping that THAT solidified and qualified
our
reputation; that we had indeed ”been (and were) good” all
year
‘round!
After lots of singing and laughing, our neighbor eventually
rapped
on the door; my mother in mock-pantomime... always pulling
us
back to the piano... insisting that she “hadn’t heard
anything” (She
never
wanted our neighbour to slip on the icy steps, so gave him
more
time and leeway… for his “ great getaway”!
Pulling
in the large pillowcase, we appointed someone to read out
the
names on the parcels (Usually the youngest; still eager and
learning
to read)
The
whole process, often took hours... some of the poems, quite long
and
inventive! We’d kid about; trying to deceifer “who wrote
what”...
but
we never let on ”if it was ours”!
Nowadays,
the poems are typed on the computer... but in the “olden
days”
we all had our distinct unique penmanship, so it wasn’t as easy
to
bluff our way thorough!
With
cups of hot chocolate (and coffee for the adults) we enjoyed the
delicious
buttery speculaas cookies (gingerbread short crust; crispy
and
crunchy… and other ”tasty bites”!
My
parents (late into the 1980’s) had re-united with old friends
from
Montreal
and THEY (from then on) were always a constant fixture and
part
of our collaboration! (Theyalso… continued sending poems well
into
the 2020’s via e-mail... after moving away)
.
Our
neighborhood friends knew of our gathering; promising “to keep
watch
and an eye out” for the horse and two men! Everyone was “in
“
on
all the fun!
Although
we all knew it was a fantasy; a ”make-believe fairytale”;
(and
of
course “play-acting”) our conspiring friends nevertheless
claimed
to
have “seen” the horse and travelers on the roof!
The
excitement and fun WAS contagious; always starting well before
the
5th of December! The anticipation and
preparation was (is)
“half
the
fun” after all!
These
days, my three sisters and I; still continue on with the tradition.
During
COVID-19... we ZOOMED with “additional features” (a
cousin
“walking
us through her new house” via videos)
.
These
days we all congregate at one of my siters’ (living in Ladner).
Two
sisters (and their husbands) come over on the Horseshoe Bay
ferry,
while others (like myself) travel by car and bus from Vancouver.
Although
both my parents are now deceased, we “keep up the
tradition”
although it HAS altered considerably. Snapping cell phone
cameras,
skype-ing relatives afar... and going for long walks in the
nearby
bird sanctuary…the “fun and connection” is still
very much
alive
and well!
The
brothers-in- law have totally assimilated (some even throwing out
the
occasional Dutch word of factoid!)… everyone “in the
spirit of
festive
fun”!
To
this day, “Sinterklaas” remains “the highlight” and “most
favorite”
of delightful celebrations!
Although
spontaneous and “ever-morphing”... the traditional
components
are “as ever” still there... embedded in our bright
tapestry
of Winter memories!
We
DO celebrate Christmas as well (exchanging presents like
everyone
else) but in THAT tradition the focus is more… on Christ’s
birthday
and significance.
We
ARE “a product” of this unforgettable tradition; steeped
in an
atmosphere
of playfulness, light-hearted comaraderie and fun!
The
proof; a culmination of high points & strong suits; forever
etched
in
our everyday character and… enthusiastic on-going moments!
I’ve
always enjoyed “creative writing”! Inspired by Julia
Cameron’s
book,
”Living the Artist’s Way(An Intuitive Path To Greater
Creativity)”
I
join others in our monthly Writers’ Circle; where we share
ideas,
support
and fun... exploring and validating one another’s writing
adventures!
To
me, “creative writing” is a fantastic path and
invitation… to
“connection,
creative confidence, inspiration, greater happiness,
productivity
and aliveness (and more!)”
I
highly recommend everyone; trying their hand at it!
Now;
at age seventy-two, I live in Vancouver... putting ”pen to
paper”;
giving
“writing novels, short stories/ fun-filled contests on Google”…
a
“go”… delighting in pletheras of unexpected
discoveries!
(Unless
you
type
the
author's name
in
the subject
line
of the message
we
won't know where to send it.)
Another story by Hetty
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