It’s around this time of year that parents with children in Dutch primary schools gear up for the Sinterklaas ‘surprise‘ (pronounced ‘sirprees’, in case you are wondering). Primary school kids from group five upwards knutsel together a masterpiece. And then they hide a little present in it for a classmate. It’s taken into school on the 5th of December. It’s gezellig.
This Year is Not My First Sinterklaas ‘Surprise’ Rodeo
The Sinterklaas ‘surprise‘ first made an appearance in our home in 2016. My eldest was then in group 5. My middle son was in group 5 last year so I had two children who I had to motivate, bribe and curse at revelling in the excitement of making a surprise last year.
This year my youngest is in group 5, and so I again have two boys who need to craft a present. I am so excited. It’s great because I have nothing to do for the three weeks between lootjes trekken (see below) in school and 5 December, so this fills my time nicely. Particularly in the first few days of December when panic excitement reaches its crescendo.
The ‘Surprise‘ is Hand Made
You have probably cottoned on to the fact by now that it’s not just a question of buying a gift, wrapping it in paper and handing it to a classmate on 5 December. The astute among you will have noticed the use of the words ‘knutsel‘, ‘make’ and ‘craft’ in the preceding paragraphs.
Kids have to make the surprise.
For the English readers, think along the lines of Blue Peter meets Take Hart (the wonderful Tony Hart and the oh so loveable Morph!). Needless to say, sticky backed plastic, toilet rolls and double sided tape come into their own in this period of Dutch festivities.
How Does This Sinterklaas Surprise Work?
It’s simple.
The agreed present value is usually a few euro. (We are spoilt rotten as our current school has actually given each child the money to go and buy their classmate’s present in previous years. I know this is not the case in all schools!)
All children fill in a questionnaire stating their wish list, hobbies and interests. This is then used for present ideas, and as a theme for the creation of the surprise.
Each child draws a name out of a hat (a Sinterklaas hat most likely) but tells no other living soul* which classmate they have drawn.
A child then buys a present up to an agreed value. They make the surprise, ingeniously hide the present in the ‘surprise’ and takes it to school on 5 December.
So if a child has has written she loves singing, you could make a microphone out of toilet rolls, sticky paper and a tennis ball, and stuff the present inside the toilet roll. Before the microphone is sealed. Still with me?
That is how the Sinterklaas surprise works.
(*Yeah right, because eight year olds and keeping secrets go hand in hand.)
Common School Sinterklaas Surprise Problems Parents Face
So far, so good right? Except that’s just the gezellig theory.
Asking an eight year old to build, make or create something from scratch, based only on a few words ‘written’ by another eight year old (it’s all essentially illegible) is a tall order.
The sighing, huffing and puffing and mutterings of, “ik weet het niet” get old really quickly. Times this scenario by the number of children you have making surprises and multiply it by three to calculate how much wine you will need to last you until Sinterklaas trots back off to Spain. Can you tell by now that I am resisting the urge to be really very sweary?
So eventually, there is the seedling of an idea and a list of items needed for the project. The present is wrapped, just waiting to be put into the as yet to be made surprise. The stage is set. Weeks pass.
Fast forward to the 1st December. There are still no tangible ‘surprises‘ in which to put the presents. The wine is op but there are still four more days to survive.
One room in the house looks like an exploded recycling centre.
All kids involved are about as fed up with this ‘surprise’ idea as is humanly possible. Double that for any parent involved.
Parental Involvement in the Sinterklaas Surprise
Now is the time to start mildly panicking because a school Sinterklaas surprise is not something you throw together at the last minute. If you have in any doubt about whether you need to take this ‘project’ seriously read this: The Sinterklaas Surprise: A Cautionary Tale.
The first year that the whole surprise thing hit our home it suddenly dawned on me that I had seen the upper school’s class display’s of Sinterklaas surprises in previous years. And they were not shoddy.
A lot of effort goes into them.
A lot of effort from people who are not eight years old. Nor nine. Nor ten. Not even eleven.
That noise you hear reverberating from sheds across the Netherlands at the beginning of December is not a sudden DIY wave. That is the sound of competitive parents with power tools making a Sinterklaas surprise for their offspring.
And When Just When You Think It’s All Over, It’s NOT
And that swearing you hear? That’s me. Because once the surprise is complete it dawns on you that something is missing. The damn rhyming poem. A rhyming poem has to accompany the surprise. Did I mention that before? Whoops, I forgot to mention that. Don’t make any plans for the 4th of December.
Sinterklaas zat te denken, wat hij jou zou eens schenken – and so on and so on…….
Sinterklaas Surprise Ideas
Check out Pinterest if you want some Sinterklaas surprise ideas.
Pinterest is seriously your best friend at this time of the year.
Over to You
I would love to hear tips, advice and stories from you. Especially from you experienced Dutch parents! What’s the golden tip for dealing with this ‘surprise‘ thing?
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