The presents are wrapped in funny, unusual ways with special notes written in verse. The gifts are then hidden away until Sinterklaas Day. The night before Sinterklaas Day, children place their wooden shoes by the fireplace, filled with carrots or hay for the white horse. In the morning, they hope these things will be replaced with gifts from Sinterklaas. In some homes, the doorbell rings and Piet's hand will throw candies and cookies into the room, quickly slamming the door behind him.
Children run to gather the sweets while mother pulls in a large basket of gifts left outside.
In other Homes, gifts are not opened until little children have gone to bed. A traditional holiday sweet is marzipan, which is an almond paste candy shaped into funny things such as animals or fruit. Initials of pure chocolate are also a favorite. Formal dinners and church services mark Christmas Day celebrations. In the Netherlands there are 2 Christmas days, December 25th and 26th.