A Christmas in the Netherlands

But for me Christmas merely reminds me how much the rhythm of my life was disrupted by my parents’ decision to migrate.  I also know that were I to go back to Holland I would discover that December has become a very different month – it starts with controversy about Sinterklaas – his helpers are no longer black Peters but are now multi-coloured.  Both Christmas and Sinterklaas have been captured by the tide of consumerism, people buy their oliebollen prepacked and there are no longer those spontaneous street parties around the bonfire.  And there as here the shops shove Christmas down your throat from the beginning of November or earlier and then in  a matter of weeks afterwards we find ourselves looking at hot cross buns.

I guess what I miss is the fact that we are losing the magic of special days, days where we step out of the rut of daily living to create something extraordinary – something to look forward to and something to savour.

Best wishes to all OLO readers and hopefully you are able to create something magic in your own home this Christmas and New Year.