Yesterday marked the first episode of het Sinterklaasjournaal, the magical nightly “news” that follows Sinterklaas and his helpers as they make their way to the Netherlands and Belgium. Every evening from now until 5 December, children tune in to see what’s happening with the boat, the presents, and of course the Pieten.

It’s such a wonderfully imaginative Dutch tradition, one I absolutely love sharing with my 5-year-old. Each evening we watch het Sinterklaasjournaal together, talk about the story, and do little arts and crafts inspired by it. We make his wish list and, a few weeks before pakjesavond, he carefully puts his shoe out with his letter inside.

The next morning, Sinterklaas has been! The letter is gone, and in its place are sweets, pepernoten, or a little chocolate treat. The magic is real in those sleepy-eyed morning discoveries.

Then comes pakjesavond, the big night itself. My son puts out his shoe again, this time with a carrot for Sinterklaas’s horse (Slecht Weer Vandaag), a beer for Piet, and a biscuit for Sinterklaas himself. And when he wakes up the next morning, the living room is covered in chocolate, pepernoten, speculaas, and presents!

Keeping this tradition alive isn’t always easy, especially so close to Christmas, but it’s one I hold close to my heart. Sharing it with my son connects us to my own childhood, my culture, and to the joy of passing traditions across generations. Singing the Sinterklaas songs a few years ago was actually the very first time I heard my son speak Dutch!

For me, this is what multiculturalism really means, not choosing one culture over another, but celebrating all of them. Honouring where we come from while embracing the stories, celebrations, and languages that make our families beautifully diverse.