Thread:Tapasz/@comment-30339728-20161204031115/@comment-30339728-20161204222842

Zwarte Piet is a collection item that one can find in the Christmas Eve room. But I've had some people send him to me, so I don't really need more of him at this time. And certainly I would not wish to take your only one from you. The collection is called Irreplaceable assistants and has 5 different Christmas holiday related characters: Holda,Christmas elf, Muori, Zwarte Piet and Befana. (If you type in "assist" in the collections search box you will see it.  The reward is a 100 point power weight.) This is something you will want to get for yourself when you open that room up.

I know a bit about Dutch customs for the holiday even though my parents did not practice them in our home when I was growing up. From what I learned from my dad before he died was that the reason why had to do with  expectations for immigrants in the late "50s and early '60s.  To become a US citizen, the expectation was that foreign customs were not to be brought into the American home.  Full imersion and copy of US practices only. Not like the more accepting and all embracing philosophy of "keep your own heritage too" that is current thinking. Kind of sad that my sister and I lost out on some of those things. Saw my first live Sinta Klaas 2 years ago after my dad died.  He arrived in Arnhem the day before I had to come back home.  I loved it.  The horses, parade marchers, the kids, the crowd, the kitch, the complete politically incorrectness but all forgiven due to tradition of it. Wish we had that here....

Please make my chocolate letter dark chocolate and bitter sweet? I'd also love some peppernoten or kruidnoten. We can't get those here. (Still working on a 2 kilo bag my sister gave me when my dad died two years ago - keep them in the freezer and take out small treats now and then.  We can get pfefferneuse - but those aren't the same thing.  I can get stropwafels - a huge favorite of mine and I can make my own boeterkoek - another sin food.  Maybe you have a recipe?  You can email it to me at Lidewey.Skal@tangischools.org