Hij komt, hij komt! (He comes, he comes!)

On the 14th of November a boat from Spain, carrying a Very Important Person aboard, arrives at the harbour in the Netherlands. Lots of children have gathered to greet this VIP and welcome him with songs and cheers, even the royal princesses are there. A noble white horse, beautifully groomed and dressed in his finest regalia, stands patiently waiting for his most distinguished rider. "Amerigo" has been kept all year in tip top condition so that he is prepared for this busiest of seasons.
As the boat sails into view, the children sing and cheer even harder to welcome their most beloved SinterKlaas. The boat is festooned with flags and the capering zwarte Piets (SinterKlaas' many assistants from Spain) are throwing sweets and biscuits to the up-stretched hands of the waiting children. Finally the man himself appears. White gloved hand waving he is smiling kindly through his white beard, wise old eyes sparkle in delight at this enthousiastic greeting. As the boat docks and the plank is put into place, Amerigo chomps at his bit - even he can't hide his excitement. Sinterklaas, dressed in his warm red cloak, his mitre and holding his staff in one hand, steps off the boat and finally onto Dutch soil. He is here!
From now until his birthday on December 6th, SinterKlaas will be kept extremely busy. The Piets have to report on all the children, have they been naughty or nice? The children leave their shoes out in the hope that one of the Piets will stop by for a visit. A surefire clue that a Piet has called is that a favourite toy has been played with and something sweet has been left behind as a thank you.
Dutch children are glued to the weather report. Sinterklaas has arrived safely but the package boats, containing all the gifts, take much longer. The Netherlands has experienced high winds, lashing rain and thunder storms these last few weeks. There are rumours that one of the package boats has been lost at sea. The Piets are frantically searching but who knows if all the gifts will arrive on time?! The wise, kindly Sint' seems unruffled by all this frenetic activity from his helpers. After all he's been doing this for hundred of years; he has a strong faith, and exudes a calm in the middle of this storm. Where the Piets are childlike and playful, SinterKlaas is an imposing figure. He is very holy, a good and kind man but stern if you've been naughty. You wouldn't want Sinterklaas to think badly of you so everyone is on their best behaviour.
Sinterklaas works very hard when he's in the Netherlands. He makes time in his busy schedule to visit lots and lots of children. He's especially kind to the children that can't be at home for the eve of his birthday. You can understand that this is a big worry for such a child. Even though the Piets are mischevious, they do take their jobs very seriously and they let Sinterklaas know where every child will be for the 5th of December. Last year he visited Noah and all the other children in the Sophia hospital in Rotterdam. This year he is making time to visit the GretaBonteKoe in Aalten. Understandably he's going to be very busy on the 5th and so he's coming today!!!!

The place is a hive of activity. The children have spent the week making presents for the Sint, it is soon his birthday so of course he needs a present too! The farm has been decorated with packages, boats, and drawings of the Sint, Amerigo and the Piets to make them feel welcome. A special comfortable chair is set in place, so that Sinterklaas can rest and perhaps even talk to the children for a little while before he has to carry on with his busy schedule. Pepernoten and speculaas biscuits are baking in the oven, filling the air with their wonderful spicy aroma. The children are shiny faced, washed and dressed in their finest, ready to welcome their wonderful Sinterklaas.

There is still a few hours to go till his arrival, so time for me to brush my teeth and comb my hair, hope that we've been good enough to receive a kind word from the man himself. Until then I'd better practice my singing, I'm still a bit shaky on my Sinterklaas songs. I'm sure he'll understand if I only know the one song, I'll make sure I'm better prepared next year! For now I can't help but get excited - today is the day! Hij komt, hij komt!