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Fireworks in The Hague (Or: The final edition?)

In theory this was the last year that fireworks could be purchased for New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands. I say in theory because the government said they were banning it, but they still need to work out compensation for the companies who sell fireworks. But I do expect it will be the last year.

Here’s a look at the aftermath in just one corner of The Hague the day after:

A lot of people don’t clean up after themselves as they expect the city will do it for them…

You can also check out a short 3 minute video of fireworks over The Hague just after midnight on New Year’s Eve.

And, just because I’ll forget to post otherwise, here’s a final picture of the holiday displays by Bijenkorf from a few weeks back:

In other news, we got some snow this weekend! The people setting off fireworks got really lucky because the weather turned on January 1, after the festivities were over. Of course, it is mostly slush here in The Hague. But there are some good pictures out there – check out Reddit for some beautiful pictures someone took today in The Hague.

Categories: Culture, Holidays, The Hague | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Candy time (Or: Christmas box within Christmas box within…)

Check out this crazy cool Christmas gift Marco and I received from a relative! Handmade.

If you have diabetes you might want to look away now…

I warned you.

First layer is Bounty and chocolate Santas, but I suggest checking out the lovely decorations on this box as well. A cat and a tree (the maker of this gift has two Ragdoll cats).

Second layer, Knoppers (wafers stacked with hazelnut and milk creme) and MilkyWay. I’m definitely eyeing the Knoppers…

A reindeer on this box.

Third layer is Koetjesreep, of which there is only a Dutch Wikipedia page. It’s a candy bar of Dutch origin, very popular with kids. Technically it has less than 35% cocoa bean inside, so it can’t officially be labeled as chocolate. It is instead labeled as cacaofantasie, or chocolate fantasy, which I find more amusing than I probably should.

The last layer, with various small chocolates inside. There’s a sleigh on this smallest box. The lids are stacked up (mostly) neatly behind.

We have enough chocolate to last us for 2026! Okay, probably not, but enough for the coming period for sure. It was a great gift to receive, too beautiful to tear apart (but someone has to eat the chocolate!).

Categories: Friends&Family, Holidays | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Decemberzegels (Or: Efteling inspiration)

Every year, PostNL (the Dutch post office) releases new decemberzegels, or December stamps, for use during the holiday period. This year they can be used from 10 November to 3 January for letters. They are like America’s “forever stamps”, as you can keep using them every December. Currently you can use stamps from 2010 and newer.

The theme this year is fairy tales from the Efteling, a Dutch theme park. Some of the themes are the Princess and the pea, Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel. Each sheet has 10 unique stamps (PostNL decemberzegels page in Dutch).

Here’s a close up:

This year I used my last 2021 stamp, actually, so I had to buy more. Earlier this month I went to one of the PostNL pakketpunten, a place to pick up and send packages in random stores like flower shops or dry cleaners. They make a bit of money (not a lot!) for each package that goes through their hands.

Mind you, I have lived in the Netherlands since late 2012. I recently celebrated my 13th anniversary here (December 18, 2012). The conversation I had with the shopkeeper was in Dutch, with no issues on my side. But I was reminded that I still have an American accent, because at some point the shopkeeper asked, in Dutch, “You know you can use these to send mail internationally, right? Just add two stamps instead of one, provided it doesn’t weigh more than 50 grams”. I said something “Oh, cool, I didn’t know”, since I didn’t. After I left I realized he probably mentioned that because of my accent…

Heh. Oh well!

Categories: Daily Dutch living, Everyday purchases, Holidays | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Bijenkorf’s Christmas tree (Or: 2025 edition)

Here’s a look at Bijenkorf’s Christmas tree for 2025:

The Christmas area on the third floor also had bears which ever so slightly moved.

I do like the use of colored lights this year. A lot of places in the Netherlands only have soft white lights. The gold symbols on the tree are pictures of a teddy bear, Bijenkorf shopping bag, and Christmas present. The longer rectangle one is the symbol for the Bijenkorf in Amsterdam. You can also buy it as a Christmas ornament

That picture makes it seem like the store was fairly empty, but that was most definitely not the case. It was a bit of a madhouse, but the ornaments are a bit further in. This was near the beginning of the section, by the escalators.

In my last post I mentioned the Christmas tram. Unfortunately, it got into a (minor) accident the next day (omroepwest.nl), although it was back in service quickly. Accidents between trams and cars happens a lot. A bit more unexpected was the accident earlier this week when the switch which allows the tram to change tracks broke and shot through the floor of the tram, slightly injuring one of the passengers. A few pictures into the article you can see the damage to the floor. Crazy stuff.

Categories: Holidays, Shopping, Transportation | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas tram in The Hague (With: A Santa hat)

I recently saw the Christmas tram riding around in The Hague. It was the second time I have spotted it this year, but this time I was able to stop and take a picture.

Don’t you think the Santa hat on top is cute? Apparently it has 6,300 lights on it and it also plays Christmas music non-stop. Haha. (I wouldn’t mind, though. It isn’t like you are in the tram that long.)

You can check out ovzoeker.nl to see where the tram is riding. The URL looks for HTM tram #3109.

Also, if you are in The Hague, check out the Royal Christmas Fair, which is open on the Lange Voorhout until December 23.

Categories: Holidays, The Hague, Transportation | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Flags for Princess Amalia (Or: Decorations at the De Passage)

Today when walking through De Passage I noticed that Dutch flags had been raised. After a second it clicked ー today is Princess Amalia’s 22nd birthday (Wikipedia). She is next in line for the throne.

Although you can’t see it that well in the photo, one of the big clues was the strip of orange also hanging by each flag, for the royal family.

In other news, if you are looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve, check out this article from indebuurt.nl (in Dutch): Everything about New Year’s Eve in The Hague.

Categories: Culture, The Hague | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Golden lights (Or: Christmas tree in De Passage)

Last week, the Christmas tree arrived in De Passage, a covered shopping area in The Hague.

This is in the older part of De Passage, outside of the Apple Store. The older part meets at this point. De Passage is designed in such a way that the Christmas tree is visible from everywhere.

Here is a photo from a bit further away, to give you an idea of how the area looks:

It’s a great place to walk through, especially when the weather is bad. The older part is a bit cold in the winter, but the new part closer to Grote Marktstraat is much warmer.

If you click the “De Passage” tag at the bottom of this post, you’ll see similar blog posts about this part of The Hague.

Categories: Holidays, The Hague | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Takoyaki by Takumi (Or: New experiences)

At one of our recent visits to Takumi, Marco and I ordered a dish of takoyaki. I’ve never had it before, while Marco did have some in one of his earlier trips to Japan. Takoyaki is made with wheat-based flour and small pieces of octopus (English Wikipedia).

It was softer than I expected (perhaps due to the amount of takoyaki sauce on top). The sauce is descended from Worcestershire sauce which the British brought to Japan in the 1800s. There’s also a bit of Japanese mayonnaise, the orange color on top.

It was tasty and hit the spot. You couldn’t really taste the octopus, if you’re wondering. The sauce was a bit overpowering in that regard. Marco and I will probably order it again the next time we are there.

Categories: Food, Marco&Niki | Leave a comment

Sintvoorieder1 (Or: Holiday toy drive)

If you live in The Hague, you have two more days to donate a gift to the Sintvoorieder1 action. Sint is short for Sinterklaas, similar to Santa Clause. voorieder1 is short for ‘voor iedereen’, or ‘for everyone’. You can donate gifts tomorrow or Friday at the Central Library, so that all kids have something fun to open on December 5, the Sinterklaas holiday. The event closes Friday at 17:00.

DenHaagFM has daily news stories covering the action at the Central Library. There is also more information available at the official website.

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Takkie and Sepia at Hema (Or: Christmas gifts 2025)

Hema is going all in on the Takkie and Siepie gifts this year. Takkie is a dog and Siepie is a cat, and both are from Jip and Janneke, a series of children’s books (English Wikipedia).

This year they have Takkie mugs:

There’s also a Takkie toy:

I also took a picture of some of the stuffed animals.

Takkie has a red collar and Siepie does not have a collar.

You can find more Takkie and Siepie related items on Hema’s website, on their Takkie en Siepie page.

I’m a fan of Takkie with a scarf as well as the Christmas ornaments for both of them. Cute stuff!

Categories: Everyday purchases, Holidays, Shopping | Tags: , | Leave a comment

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