I started this post about 2 weeks ago, but hadn’t gotten around to finishing it. Well, it’s now midnight on December 20th and I can’t sleep. That’s what happens when you take daytime cold & flu medicine at 10:30 pm. Boo. Oh, well. At least I’m getting around to writing this post.

My dad is Dutch. Like crossed-the-Atlantic-Ocean-on-a-boat-when-he-was-two-years-old Dutch. That means I’m Dutch. And that means Grayson is Dutch. When I was a child my family would celebrate Sinterklaas Day. (a.k.a. – St. Nicholas Day) He’s the dude Santa Claus was dreamed up from. Not that Santa isn’t real or anything.

I remember going to visit Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet on a boat when I was a child. Zwarte Piet, (a.k.a. – Black Pete) strange I know, was a paige who traveled with Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas traveled on a boat from land to land to check on children making sure they were behaving. On the evening of December 5th if it was found that children were behaving properly Sinterklaas would leave treats for the children when he stopped by their home.

We were to leave one shoe by the tree/front door in hopes that Sinterklaas stopped by our home to check in on our behavior. If you were good he would leave presents, chocolate coins or my favorite, a chocolate initial of your 1st name. I was unlucky that J was never a very big letter. The dutch are known for their chocolate and if you ever get the chance you’ve got to try some. We still get a chocolate letter every year under my parent’s christmas tree sent in by my grandparents.

I wanted to carry this tradition on with my kids, but remembered at the last second and could not get any of the traditional chocolate that Sinterklaas leaves. Looks like various, already purchased, stocking stuffers will have to do this year.

Sinterklaas improvised this year and left Gray a GIANT candy cane, a wooden train whistle, a wooden plane, and a banana; because Grayson loves bananas. Duh.

And look what he picked up first. “Nanah! Nanah! Nanah!”  That’s what I hear every morning from this child. He’s obsessed I tell you.

BTW…these photos are a prime example why one should never shoot in Auto Mode. It sucks! I have no clue why I decided to shoot these pics in Auto with the pop up flash. Ehhhh. Just look at the weird lens distortion on the kiddo’s face. What’s up with that?

Look how happy his is though. I can’t wait for next year when I hopefully get it right.

He loved the train whistle.

Did anyone else celebrate Sinterklaas Day as a child? Anyone else Dutch? What was your favorite gift you received from Sinterklaas?

Mine was a pink hair crimper. Yup, a hair crimper! That’s how old I am.

If you want to know more about the Dutch tradition you can get your read on HERE.

.:: Day 17 ::.

Our hidden cameras found Flip, Beans, and the honey bear tracing each other with chalk on the kitchen floor.

Although Gray isn’t allowed to hold Flip the Elf I do allow him to do one thing. Touch his nose. He’s really into showing EVERYONE where their nose is right now, and I love watching him stick that little pointer finger on people’s and animal’s noses. Every time he finds Flip he shouts out “NOSE!” So, I let him touch Flip’s nose. Cuz I’m a sucker for babies touching people’s noses.

After showing me where Flip’s nose was he decided to join in on the fun.

.:: Day 16 ::.

Looks like someone was missing the frigid temperatures of home. It also looks like we need to go to the grocery store. STAT!

.:: Day 15 ::.

Dude, I think that shirt is a little big on you. You might need an XXXXXXXS or something.

In the color of my holiday decor that is. In previous years I went with a more neutral/natural color palette, but this year I wanted tons of RED, WHITE, and GREEN. I wanted the house to be colorful and whimsical since we now have a kid running around the joint.

I told Derek that this year I was changing our christmas tree colors, but to be kind I would attempt to do it on the cheap. In an effort to save money I decided to make a large majority of the new ornaments, and thanks to Pinterest I did just that. And thanks to a 50% off coupon at Michael’s and previous training from my MIL I also made the bow that tops the tree. It looks a bit droopy because the wire in my wired ribbon is pitiful. It barely holds shape. As you can see.

I wanted to add big colorful ribbon to the tree, but I couldn’t find any that I just loved at a reasonable price. And since I’m trying not to spend to much on xmas decor this year I decided to nix the idea this year. Maybe I’ll find something during the after xmas sales.

I decided to go with some basic present wrapping since the tree was full of color. I wrapped all my gifts in craft paper (Actually it’s contractor’s paper I picked up at HD for like $10 to use when Gray wants to color or paint.) I tied a simple ribbon around the package and stamped each person’s first name using some lowercase rubber stamps I already owned and white paint. I got the basic idea here.

Guess who got to help decorate the tree this year. He mainly just shoved things inside the branches, but he sure looked cute doing it. I still find random items from time to time that he has shoved into the tree. I guess he thinks the tree is still looking a bit sparce.

He even threw on a festive outfit to add to the fun.

So, that’s our fun whimsical tree! Did anyone else make any ornaments this year, or even MOST of your ornaments? I wanna see.

I need your help. What color/type of ribbon should I add to the tree next year? Should it have a pattern, or should I just stay on the solid color train?

I’ll be back soon to give you a close up of all my handmade ornaments.

Our mantle this year is nothing fancy, but I love every square inch of it. It’s fun, simple, and a tad bit classy. The only thing I purchased for it was the greenery, and it was 60% off at Joann’s.

Hey you! I see you eyeing my burlap Santa. Guess what…I made that bad boy. I love him to the 9th degree, and so does Grayson. He lights up every time he sees him.

I love this white urn. I guess it’s an urn. That’s what I call it. Sounds kinda morbid though. I’ll just call it a pot. Anyway, I found this pot at Goodwill for $3. Love.

.:: Day 14 ::.

Not quite sure what’s going on here. It kind of reminds me of an episode of Saved By the Bell where a local Hawaiian tribe thought that Screech was the prophesied next king of their tribe. Whatever it is, it’s strange. Grayson sure thought it was hilarious though.