Yesterday was the 5th of December, which is when the Dutch holiday of Sinterklaasfeest is celebrated in Holland. I'm of Dutch background myself (I was born here, but my parents were born in Holland), so we kind of celebrate Sinterklaasfeest. Sinterklaas is the Dutch version of Santa Claus, but a little closer to the hagiographical roots in that he is actually a saint (the patron saint of children and sailors), not just some guy with a sleigh and magical powers. When I was little we'd have our extended family Christmas party on the 5th, and get one early present then. As I've gotten older, I've sort of gotten more interested in my Dutch heritage, and celebrating more of the Dutch holidays. And also, I'm kind of fed up with Christmas. Not the Birth-of-Christ celebration part of Christmas. I'm down with that. Its the go-to-the-mall-and-put-yourself-in-debt-by-buying-thing-you-don't-need aspect of Christmas that I'm not so enthusiastic about lately. You see, I work at the mall, and its like waiting tables at your favourite restaurant. After you've seen what goes on in the kitchen you are not longer as interested in eating there. Its the same thing with the over comercialization of Christmas. Its really started to bother me. That's not to say I won't be buying a few presents and putting up a tree, but really, I feel more like presents at Christmas should be a symbolic gesture about love, not the chance to get a new cell phone. I mean, a cell phone! Who gives a cell phone for Christmas? A lot of people apparently, if you believe the ads on TV, especially the parents of teenagers, but really, what does that say? Ok. I digress. My point is that I had a phone conversation with some friends from Montreal the other day, who also have a toddler, and are also reluctant about indulging in the full commercialism of Christmas. For example, they are not taking their little girl to the mall to sit on Santa's lap and have her picture taken. We had a great talk about it, why we don't want to do it, what we hope to convey as the meaning of Christmas to our small and impressionable children. How to fight the overwhelming power of commercialism, etc. It was so nice to talk to other parents whom I totally agree with on this issue, and not to feel like some sort of hippie/grinch who doesn't want her kids to have fun.
And then the very next day I went and did this:
I brought the Little Dude to see Sinterklaas.
Now, here's how I think that its different from going and seeing Santa at the mall.
First of all, it wasn't at the mall. It was at the little tiny Dutch Food Store here in our little town. Its the store where we go to buy good cheese and salted licorice and speculaas cookies. So it was hardly the bustling centre of commerce that the local mall is. Also, I want the little Dude to be able to relate to his heritage. And I didn't try to connect Sinterklaas and recieving gifts at all. I just said "Lets go meet that guy. His name is Sinterklaas." And I did not make L.D. sit on his lap. I always think that's the most traumatic part of the whole Santa at the mall thing. Toddlers especially cannot be rushed into new aquantainces, and its kind of mean to try and get them to sit on an excessively bearded stranger, just to have a picture for the Christmas card.
Anyhow, this Sinterklaas was very nice and did not do a lot of excessive jollying of him, or ho ho ho-ing or ask if he'd been a 'good boy' this year. And he did not try to get him on his lap. But he did offer to let L.D. hold his cane/staff thingy, which he was quite interested in.
And we did take a picture, but the Little Dude is sitting securely on his Daddy's lap, next to Sinterklaas.
Anyhow, small differences mean a lot to me. Its inevitable that the Little Dude will want to get some stuff for Christmas. I just don't want him to think that that is all the holiday is about. Maybe I'm splitting hairs, (after all, Sinterklaas is not without his problematic aspects, and most people in Holland don't really celebrate him as a saint anymore) but a lot of parenting comes down to that in the end. Little choices, little steps away from the larger, unquestioned culture that surrounds us.
Anyhow, what the Little Dude took away from that experience seems to be the fact that he got a cookie from the lady who rung up our cheese and droopjes that day. It was a speculaas cookie, and he's been talking about it all week. Its funny what sticks and what doesn't. He remembered the food not the Saint. What can I say, he's definitely my kid.