Ik las in de digitale Nederlandse krant dat veel winkeliers, moegeworden van de Pieten discussie, steeds vroeger beginnen met de kerstversiering en Sinterklaas overslaan. Het kan nooit vroeger dan hier in Canada. De intocht van Santa Claus in Guelph was in hetzelfde weekend als die van de tv Sint in Nederland. De kerstbomen stonden al in het gelid, ter verkoop bij de supermarkt, toen ik hier begin november aankwam.
Wij zijn echter nog volop bezig met Sinterklaas. We willen de collega’s van J. verrassen en ze wat van de Nederlandse cultuur meegeven. J. kocht snoepgoed met verpakkingsmateriaal in bij bakker van der Linden. Hij bracht een koffer vol met marsepein en pepernoten mee naar hier. En ik doe, na mijn aankomst in Guelph, de rest. Ik verpak het snoep in de kleine jute zakjes en schijf een gedicht.
Dear friend,
In The Netherlands all kids remember,
Sinterklaas and Piet are coming in November.
They come by steamboat from Spain.
The purpose of their visit I will explain.
December the fifth,
they bring all children a gift.
In their honor the children sing
and make drawings and that sort of thing.
Near to the chimney they put their shoe,
within it a carrot for Sint’s horse to chew.
At night Sint rides on his horse over the rooftops with on his side Piet.
They listen to children singing on their behalf in the meantime being very discreet.
And when de kids went to bed Piet climbs through the chimney down.
Doing that for many times he gets a complexion that’s quit brown.
Down in the living,
Piet decides on the giving.
From his big bag of jute,
before he goes en route.
A poem with a surprise,
or as a compromise,
Piet straws around a lot of cookies of gingerbread
and puts some Josh in the shoes before he goes ahead.
Sint and Piet leave for Spain on the sixth of December Sint’s birthday.
Leaving the little children of The Netherlands unaware of the betray.
Thill they become older and no longer believe,
that it is Sint who brings all the presents they receive.
What stays is the excitement of getting a gift or a sweet,
without knowing from who is coming this treat.
Sint and Piet wish you and your dear ones a merry Christmas and a happy New Year
©