This was Andrew's first Sinterklaas Day! Here are a couple pictures of what the shoes looked like and a video of Andrew checking out what he got!

Here is a bit of history about Sinterklaas Day:

The Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas (the name is a contraction of Sint Nikolaas) on December 5th & 6th. The holiday honors the life of St. Nicholas.

This real life Santa Claus was born to wealthy parents in the third century in Patara (now a part of Turkey). He spent his life giving away his money to the poor and doing good deeds. He died on December 6th and was buried in Myra. It is this date that is commemorated.

Although St. Nicholas is always shown wearing bishops attire, the Dutch tend to see him as a kindly old man, rather than a Catholic Saint. The result is that Sinterklaas is celebrated by Dutch people of all ages and beliefs.

His feast day is observed by exchanging chocolate letters (of the recipients initial). it is also customary to make good natured fun of your loved ones by way of a humorous poem written by the giver.

Dutch children believe that Sinterklaas writes down whether they've been naughty or nice in his red book. They put carrots in their shoes for his horse, hoping that Sinterklaas will exchange them for presents if they are good. Sound familiar?

It is said that Sinterklaas was the precursor of Santa Claus. Historians believe that Dutch and German settlers took the tradition with them to America. There, his catholic garb was exchanged for a jolly non-sectarian red suit with the white fur trim we are all so familiar with. Additionally, his little frame gave way to a padded-potbelly and his trusty white steed was traded in for a troupe of reindeer.