Christmas shopping

[ThomPhoenix]

Proglin is right, Sinterklaas is the best! 

Actually, Dutch immigrants took the celebration of Sinterklaas to the US and in time the name was changed into "Santa Claus". From the US Santa Claus then moved back to The Netherlands. So Santa visits us twice a year here.

/endlesson

[miadon]

why does father christmas give rich people more presents than poor people?

[zanzibar]

I celebrate Christmas with a secular interpretation, and I do not observe it in a way forced on to me by the capitalist system.  I see it as a reminder and celebration of the value of love and peace, but I don't consider myself Christian.

[hitancrias]

hitancrias, what do you call the festival on the 5th of December?

At december 5th we celebrate the 'feast of Sinterklaas.' Sinterklaas has the same roots as Santa Claus, hence the similarities in their names.

This explanation (ripped from this site) covers it very well:

The Feast of Sinterklaas, or St. Nicholas, is an annual event which has been uniquely Dutch and Flemish for centuries. St. Nicholas' Feast Day, December 6th, is observed in most Roman Catholic countries primarily as a feast for small children. But it is only in the Low Countries - especially in the Netherlands - that the eve of his feast day (December 5th) is celebrated nationwide by young and old, christian and non-christian, and without any religious overtones.
Although Sinterklaas is always portrayed in the vestments of the bishop he once was, his status as a canonized saint has had little to do with the way the Dutch think of him. Rather, he is a kind of benevolent old man, whose feast day is observed by exchanging gifts and making good-natured fun of each other. It so happens that the legend of St. Nicholas is based on historical fact. He did actually exist. He lived from 271 A.D. to December 6th, 342 or 343. His 4th century tomb in the town of Myra, near the city of Anatolia in present-day Turkey, has even been dug up by archaeologists.

How it is celebrated depends very much of the presence of young children. Young children believe in "Sinterklaas" in the same way as children in other countries believe in Santa. A few weeks before December 5th, Sinterklaas arrives by a steampowerd ship which is said to come from Spain. (Just like Santa is said to come from the North Pole.) The arrival of Sinterklaas is of course very important for the kids. When they go to sleep they can put their shoes near the front door, and if they are lucky Sinterklaas or one of his helpers called Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters) has misteriously managed to get a little present in. A requirement to receive a gift is to put a carrot in the shoe, as a little present for the horse of Sinterklaas, on which he rides on the roofs of the houses. Kids are only allowed to place one shoe near the front door. Some smart kids try to trick Sinterklaas by placing two (different ones) though. Needless this usually doesn't work, as Sinterklaas isn't one to be fooled easily. Of course Sinterklaas lacks time and funding to visit every house every night, but on december 5th, he makes sure presents for the whole family arrive.

In families without young children or among friends surprise objects and special Sinterklaas-poems are popular. A few weeks before december 5th, everybody writes his name on a paper, folds it and randomly takes one of the papers. Everyone has to make a surprise object and a poem for the person whose name is on the paper. The object and the poem are meant to make 'good natured fun' of each other, usually by ridiculizing one of the persons habits or hobbies. (Of course people are usually meaner if they draw a close friend or relative than if they draw their mother in law). The surprise object contains a present. A good Dutch tradition is also to set fixed upper and lower boundaries of the money that has to be spent on the presents on beforehand, because we're all scrooges down here.

Here you see Sinterklaas and one of his "Black Peters".

Sinterklaas has to face quite some competition from Santa, especially in less creative families, but so far he seems to be able to handle it.

[Helm]

I come from a country with a strong Catholic background, and from a religious family. For me Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ. It is a big occasion to put the whole family together and have a nice dinner on the 24th and a loooooooooong lunch on the 25th. It is the holiday that celebrates family, mostly the only oportunity to get the whole family together discussing diseases, politics, football and taxes without killing each other.

It is the holiday to spoil kids rotten with love and food. It's the time in which Santa Claus, or baby Jesus depending on the family, comes to our house at 00:00 and leaves a present for the good behaved kids. Something they have been wanting the whole year.

It's the time to spend hours painting, glueing and swearing because I will not finish the presents in time. It is the time in which I protest a little bit too loudly against what commerce and people are doing to the celebration of Christ's birth: another excuse to spend amounts of money by making people feel guilty if they do not buy the most expensive present.

It's the time in which I make my family happy with cheap hand-made presents, and get presented with more drawing materials for next year...

And of course it's the best time to see a full grown up girl acting like a kid around the Christmas tree, the decoration on the stairs, the boxes with the beautiful glass balls, mother's flower arrangements, aunt's best chocolate cake and gramma's Aletria.

To sum up, it's a wonderful eating time, with a lot of joy because I can see family which I love and can't see the rest of the year, a time to assist the most beautiful masses in the church, and to open with thrilling joy the presents that other made specially just for me. Even if it's just a silly picture on a toothpick frame! 


P.S.: And of course, since I just got family from a different country, it's also the best time to have fun with other traditions...

[LARAGORN]

I know this isnt new but i still like it A great xmass light show, a lot of time and effort.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD8_7c36yfw

[Datruth]

I know this isnt new but i still like it A great xmass light show, a lot of time and effort.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD8_7c36yfw

lol OMG you beat me to it.

I was uploading that movie to my server right when i read your post lol.

There still is a reason to download the actual file, the picture is bigger, with better quality, along with it sounding nicer, because it hasn't been converted to youtube format.

OH well, if anyone wants to download the source movie here it is:

http://www.eggdisk.com/files/108462_j607z/lights.wmv

~~Datruth

[neko kyouran]

The picture was even better if you saw it live.   

Unfortunately, the guy only had it up for a week.  Police had him take it down since it attracted so many people it was a safety hazard. All the roads were blocked, etc.  All you had to do was tune your car radio to a certain am station and sit back and enjoy.

I'll spend Christmas like I do every christmas, working a 12 hour graveyard shift.  Don't even get overtime pay or holiday pay either.  *shrugs*

As for shopping, I got that done in July.  Things are cheaper then.  My idea of christmas is just a time of gathering of friends and family, some you never really get to see becuase they live far away and only get a chance to all gather in one place once or twice a year.  As for the captialist view point, meh, I partake in the give and receiving of gifts, becuase I want to show I care.  I like to give gifts to show I care to my family, friends, etc, year round though, so, whatever.

[Idoru]

Thank you for that excellent and informative post hitancrias, I do like to hear about other culture's traditions, only one question:

When they go to sleep they can put their shoes near the front door, and if they are lucky Sinterklaas or one of his helpers called Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters) has misteriously managed to get a little present in

How do you fit a PS3 in a shoe


As for the excessive display of Christmas lights, I would prefer if the thousands of pounds was distributed to homeless people or some equally deserving cause. After all, it is the season of good will to ALL men, not just to those equally as well off as yourself.

[hitancrias]

Thank you for that excellent and informative post hitancrias, I do like to hear about other culture's traditions, only one question:

When they go to sleep they can put their shoes near the front door, and if they are lucky Sinterklaas or one of his helpers called Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters) has misteriously managed to get a little present in

How do you fit a PS3 in a shoe

Hmm, didn't I say "little presents". The typical shoe presents in the weeks before december 5th are more to 'warm the kids up' for the ever exiting Sinterklaas eve on which bigger presents are usual. Presents for in the shoe can be things like colour pencils or other small presents like some sweets and of course the "chocolate letter".

[neko kyouran]

We celebrated that in our German class back in my high school days.  Germans make darn good chocolate.

[Idoru]

of course the "chocolate letter".

would you mind explaining that for me, im enjoying learning these things. I suppose I could just look at Wikipedia, but that wouldnt educate others at the same time  

[hitancrias]

of course the "chocolate letter".

would you mind explaining that for me, im enjoying learning these things. I suppose I could just look at Wikipedia, but that wouldnt educate others at the same time 

Haha, well it's pretty easy.
A chocolate letter is a letter made of chocolate. I'm not referring to mail, but to the letters of the alphabet of course.
Normally kids get the first letter of their names. This might seem unfair, as the M clearly must contain more chocolate then the letter I. The true story is that the letters like I, J, and L are much thicker, whereas the letters like the W and M are rather thin in such a way that every letter has the same weight. Young kids often don't grasp that concept and bicker over it though, which I think is rather funny. Chocolate letters are only sold in the weeks before Sinterklaas.

At your service.
- your local Dutchman

[Idoru]

I'm not referring to mail,

You see, it wasnt so easy because I was thinking you meant mail lmao. Thank you again

[Kalika]

 


oooo pretty colors....


(that christmas light video thingie )