Dargle Forest Lodge
5 Des. 2025
Go on — put your shoe by the Fire tonight! Maybe tuck in a carrot (or a little hay) for Sinterklaas’s white horse, Ozosnel. Who knows? By morning, you might just find a sweet surprise waiting inside…
Every November, something magical (and slightly mysterious) happens in the Netherlands: a bearded man in a bishop’s hat sails in from Spain on a big steamboat — with a whole crew of cheerful helpers, piles of presents, and enough pepernoten to fill the canals.
That man is Sinterklaas — the original, old-school Santa. He rides a white horse across rooftops, listens at chimneys, and somehow knows who’s been kind or… almost kind. Dutch children leave a shoe by the fire with a carrot for his horse, and by morning it’s swapped for sweets or tiny gifts — proof that magic still happens when you least expect it.
Then comes December 5th, the big night: Pakjesavond! Families trade presents, laugh over silly rhymes, and unwrap surprises that are usually more ridiculous than practical (a toaster wrapped as a turtle? classic).
It’s cozy, chaotic, and completely Dutch — a mix of kindness, creativity, and a sprinkle of cinnamon spice in the air.