In the Netherlands, we have a tradition called ‘Sinterklaas’. In mid-November, ‘Sint-Nicolaas’ arrives in the Netherlands by ship. He has his own ship, ‘Pakjesboot 12,’ and comes with his horse and ‘Pieten’. Parents tell their kids that if they are nice throughout the year, they get presents, but if they are not, they get taken back to Spain. It’s a tradition quite similar to Santa Klaus at Christmas. As a kid, you are allowed to set one of your shoes by the fireplace, and in the morning, there will be a present in it if you are lucky. I didn’t put my shoes by the fireplace, but I got lucky nonetheless, and I found this Lego Formula 1 car on our dinner table.

I did not wait long to put it together. It’s always nice to wind down the day with a nice video or series and something to keep the hands busy. I tried to take my time to enjoy the process, and that went quite well. After 1.5 hours, the car was completed, the video was done, and it was time to go to bed.

At work, we also got a great gift for ‘Sinterklaas’: a package of kruidnoten, which are little gingerbread cookies, a few little ‘Sinterklaas'-shaped chocolates, and a box of chocolate milk bombs. It all looks delicious, but we will have to wait until the fifth of December to eat them because that’s ‘Sinterklaas’ name day and the day we get together as a family to enjoy the tradition.