Fijne Kerst!

Let me tell you something about the way Dutch people celebrate Christmas!

Actually, Christmas is not a really fancy celebration in the Netherlands. It’s actually a little bit quiet. This is because Santa Claus, which I told about earlier, is the main event in December. On first Christmas days, most of the people will gather with family and friends. A lot of people will go to a church service and will have a full dinner afterwards. Some people will give and receive presents, but not everybody because they already received most of their presents on Saint Nicolas day.

On second Christmas day people will visit their families and friends and some people will go to big shops. This are often garden centers, residential boulevards, etc.

The traditional way to eat with family is called ‘gourmetten’, which is a little stove that is put on the table and where everyone prepares their own meal while seated. This is really cozy to do!

Many people also have a Christmas tree in their houses.

In Dutch we would say: Fijne Kerst! (Merry Christmas)