Black Friday and a sunny Saturday.

Black Friday and a sunny Saturday. 

Black Friday, I guess I will never understand why so many people want to be in a store with so many other customers. I saw a few video's today of the Black Friday shopping, it's crazy and at the same time akward and fun to watch. Black Friday is a tradition, like we have traditions aswell here in Holland. Sometimes I wonder how on earth you can shop with so many people gathered around, grabbing and pulling. I wonder aswell what do you grab first or where do you go first when your the first one in the store, do you run to the first sale? Or do you already have a plan where to run to or what to grab first? Just wondering. I'm sure that Black Friday is nothing for me, I like to shop quitly when I'm planning to buy something. It's okay when it's busy but rather not, for example when it's crowded in a store I'm fine when I'm just looking around, I love it, looking at people while your shopping.

Although Black Friday is nothing for me, I would love to experience it once. Just to see how or what it is, I wont be shopping though, lol. Just observing the madness going around. And for sure I wont stand first in line, I might get run over. Ì didn't get run over this afternoon, I went for a little while to a garden-centre. They had a Christmas sale with loads of decorations, it was fun to just look at it. The garden-centre is nearly in my back yard, lol. Lots of kids were there too, cause Sinterklaas is in town. Sinterklaas is a good friend of Santa Claus, they have alot in commen. Kids love them both and they both give presents once a year. Sinterklaas only comes to Holland and Belgium, He is also well known in territories of the former Dutch empire  including South Africa, Aruba, Suriname, Curaso,Bonaire, and Indonesia. Sinterklaas comes from Spain with his ship and with his helpers every once a year. (November/December) 

The one and only 'Sinterklaas.'

Sinterklaas traditionally arrives in the Netherlands each year in mid-November (usually on a Saturday) by steamboat from Spain. He is an elderly, stately and serious man with white hair and a long, full beard. He wears a long red cape over a traditional white bishop's alb and sometimes red stola, dons a red mitre and holds a gold-coloured crosier, a long ceremonial shepherd's staff with a fancy curled top. He carries a big book that tells whether each individual child has been good or naughty in the past year. He traditionally rides a whitegray horse. Sinterklaas has several servants too, these servants are callled 'zwarte pieten. I was so scared of them when I was a kid. With there black face and black curly hair, dressed up like a 17-th centurypage in a colourful dress, often with a lace collar, and donning a feathered cap.

Sinterklaas and his servants usually carry a bag which contains candy for nice children and a roe, a chimney sweep's broom made of willow branches, used to spank naughty children. no wonder I was scared of them, lol Some of the older Sinterklaas songs make mention of naughty children being put in the bag and being taken back to Spain. Aaarghh! The zwarte pieten toss candy around, and have become modern servants, who have black faces because they climb down chimneys to deliver the gifts and presents to the kids. Just like Santa Claus, but he isn't black from going down the chimney, hmm! Traditionally, in the weeks between his arrival and 5 December, before going to bed, children put their shoes next to the fireplace chimney. They leave the shoe with a carrot or some hay in it and a bowl of water nearby "for Sinterklaas' horse", and the children sing a Sinterklaas song. The next day they will find some candy or a small present in their shoes.

Zwarte pieten!

So far Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten, otherwise I will get scared again. The Saturday was sunny and not even cold, we call this weather in Holland a 'kwakkel' winter. In English 'Make up your mind Winter!' LOL, I bought a few good sales today, 4 white t-shirts, each 3 Euro. I have been searching for nice and wearable white t-shirts for a long time, but couldn't find them. Or to expensive, or to big or a horrible collar. Finally I found some, I'm a happy man. Further not that much, I did the last of my grocerie and spinned one last load of laundry. Tomorrow I want to do my book-holdings, or how you call it. Going trough my papers and bills, I want to have it all in order. Sunday is a perfect day for that. Now back to my coffee before it's getting cold, cheers!