Maria La Montagne's Profile

I live in the Netherlands, and we don't have a real tradition with Christmas presents.
We don't celebrate Christmas with stockings, elfs and reindeers, that's because there is another festivity, just a few weeks earlier, called "Sinterklaas".

It's celebrated on the 5th of december. Sinterklaas rides on the rooftops with his white horse and no Elfs, his helpers are called "zwarte piet" . He holds Sint's big book with all the names of the naughty and nice children, Also Sinterklaas has a big brown sack (like Santa's) with all the presents. It's tradition to scare children with this sack. When you're naughty, there is a change to be taken in the sack to Spain, the residence of Sinterklaas. The weeks before Sinterklaas, children can place there shoe near the fireplace with carrots, hay and water for the horse and Sinterklaas puts a little present in the shoe. It's a real children's festivity.

Nevertheless i remember that we had a Christmas tradition.
On the night before Christmas the whole family went to church, late in the evening and came home just before midnight.
My mother had set the table before we left, and after we returned, the lights in the Cristmas tree, as well as all the candles in the house were lighted the first time.
My father placed the tree topper, and than we all had a Christmas breakfast.
All kinds of sweets, chocolate, and a special Christmas bread, home made by my mother. And at the end of the meal we've got one present.