Sinterklaas celebrations are making a comeback — but they’re more expensive

This year, 49% of Dutchies are back to celebrating Sinterklaas compared to the first year of the coronavirus pandemic — despite a rise in prices and possible delivery hiccups.

In a survey reported by RTL Nieuws polling about 1,000 Dutch adults, 35% have plans to celebrate Sinterklaas with the whole family compared to 43% in 2019.

But slow your horses, grandma and grandpa, because Sinterklaas comes with fair warnings this year: an average gift will cost around €133 (!?), and if you’re purchasing online — you might not want to wait till the last minute. 🎁

READ MORE | Sinterklaas for expats: all the Dutch you need to make it through the holiday season

People want to celebrate together

This weekend marked the arrival of Sinterklaas to the Netherlands, if you don’t follow us on Instagram, then you’ve missed some live and alive footage from Amsterdam on Sunday. 😎 But back to the point, Sinterklaas’ arrival weekend is the time when the Dutch start to draw names for gift exchange — how exciting!

Arjan Kuiper, the founder of Lootjestrek.nl, a gift exchange registry website, says that their website has already seen a 40% increase in visitors during the recent weeks compared to 2020.

“We notice that people want to come together again, and the fact that the cabinet wants to be flexible and wants to allow more than four visitors at home during the holidays is in line with this”, says Kuiper.

How are you planning to celebrate the holidays this year? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: TonyTaylorstock/Depositphotos

Farah Al Mazouni 🇸🇾 🇺🇸
Farah Al Mazouni 🇸🇾 🇺🇸
Farah believes she's been on many adventures during her millennial life, each for a different (sometimes invisible) purpose. The latest adventure whisked her away to Amsterdam for love, and what a magical surprise she found in this city. Armed with imaginary confetti in her pocket, and ready to celebrate all wins, big and small, Farah says "ahla w sahla" or “welcome” to her latest adventure in this wonderland.

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