The Lead up to Christmas 2025

We had the earliest dismissal from school yet, December 12th so it was a short, but lovely lead up to the holidays!

Cookie swap with my book club (who no longer reads books!)

New Christmas craft- embroidered re-usable gift tags to be used with the cloth fabric bags I make each year. Very satisfying to make. 

Fall is holding on!

A walk and window shopping with Sharon

Annual trip to Het Oosten to get our Christmas tree. Had to go on a Monday evening after school since Jude was busy all of Thanksgiving weekend with Model UN. Sadly, the oliebollen cart was sold out by the time we arrived, but we enjoyed the new layout and photo op set ups, and the kids happily obliged. 

A couple was looking at a particular tree (our of the 100s they had laid about), but put it back. We stood it up and that was it! Easiest tree hunt we've had and also the biggest and most beautiful tree. And only 25 euros! I also got the boughs to make my front door wreath. I reuse the frame, pine cones, and felt berries each year so just need to buy the bundle of greens at the garden center. 

Before

After

The high school did the musical Grease and it was really great! Kids loved it!

Early December always means Sinterklaas. Maeve was learning Happy Farmer in Suzuki book one, which is the tune of "Hij komt, Hij komt", so I got her to play it while they sang by the fire one evening in the hopes of getting a little something in their shoes. 

Sinterklaas arrival at school. Now that Jude is in middle school, he doesn't get to take part in the celebrations, but he has a good motivator to make it into mother tongue Dutch class as those students get to play the Piets! 

Sinterklaas surprised the kids with a letter from Santa. The message was a little vague, but the presents of new snow boots, portable sleds, and Warmies Husky stuffies helped us realize that Sinterklaas gifted us a trip to Lapland, Finland to meet Santa in 9 days!! Included were information sheets about all of the activities we would do there. Thank you Santa and Sinterklaas! We couldn't wait! 

After opening presents, we decorated the tree as our annual holiday party was the next day (the only Saturday in December before everyone left for the holidays)!!

Jude's acting class did a small show of the Gingerbread man. Jude was a dog and half of the river ;) 

Then it was quickly home for party prep. This was the 3rd year we've had our Annual Caroling Party, so the prep was easy as we know the drill. It was another joyous evening with even more musical talents on display. A great way to get the holidays started! 

Maeve learned the 2nd violin part for Hark the Herald Angles Sing for her winter concert (which we missed because we were in Finland), but we played a duet and it was lovely! 

"We're Robbie and Scott" (aka Feliz Navidad)

Must Be Santa!

Maeve and a few friends performed at their lower school assembly, singing Santa Tell Me by Ariana Grande. 

We weren't seeing Oma and Opa this Christmas so we prepared a shipment of our homemade gifts. Thankfully, it finally made it to the US, only 4 days after Christmas after a customs hold in the Netherlands. 

Jude's winter piano concert. He performed a solo song and then a duet with another student. 

The day before we left for Norway, ISA arranged to assist the local food bank in their food drive at Albert Heijn at Stadshart. Nice, easy way to give back a little this time of year. 

Loved AH's festive Hamster this year! 

And then it was off on our first adventure of the break, to Lapland! 

When we were back in town, we went to see a Christmas Classics at the Movies concert at the Concertgebouw. Kids weren't thrilled about leaving home to go to a classical orchestra concert, but they really enjoyed it. And were happy to get oliebollen before the show!