Christmas in Holland, MI!

 I like to go to a close city closer to our home around Christmas time as a little getaway for the family. With Lisa visiting, we thought Holland, MI would be a great choice this year! 

We headed up Friday after school and went to dinner, checked into our hotel and got a good night rest! 

Up early the next morning for an insanely yummy Dutch breakfast. 

Bonus: They had special guests that morning. 

It was FREEZING. So cold. So some of the things I had planned just didn't work. 

We went to a Farmer's Market and it was just too cold to enjoy. Imagine our surprise when we found a HUGE vendor fair in the next building. For a $5 admission, we roamed around there for a few hours and found some very cool items. I consider that a win. 

Next up, we headed to downtown Holland for more shopping. It was still pretty chilly but going in and out of shops made it a little easier to bear. 

We dropped this guy off at a local brewery because he can only do so much shopping.

After a few hours, we met up with John at the brewery for a light lunch and a drink. Of course, they only had patio seating but they a ton of outdoor heaters which made a big difference. 

I enjoyed this vodka infused hot chocolate. Immensely. 

We headed back to rest and warm up before we headed to the next adventure. 

Magic at the Mill. 

This is the famous windmill in Holland, MI and they were supposed to have Sinterklaas!

About 15 mins before my breakdown. 

About 5 mins before my breakdown.

2 mins before my breakdown.

After this photo I completely snapped on my family. 

I did quite a bit of research online. It was very hyped up. 

Yes, the weather was horrible 

Yes, it was pretty lame. 

But man, I tried. 

I was so tired of the complaining. 

I told them I would never plan another family trip. 

Which was a lie because I already am.

They let me pick the restaurant for dinner. Which was closed. 

So we ended up at a crappy place. 

I'm assuming Holland is better in the summer. But...I don't know that we will be back soon. 

It wasn't a great weekend. 

We stopped at the outlets on the way home and Trader Joe's. I redeemed myself. 

Lessons learned. 

Sinterklaas!

 In the Netherlands, they celebrate with Sinterklaas on December 5th. I wanted to make it special for Lisa so I did some research. It seemed very similar to St. Nick's Day! 

There wasn't much I could get my hands on but I tried. 

I reached out to a local business who makes banners and she made me this! So cute!

Tradition is Sinterklaas comes down the chimney and fills shoes for the little children. 

I didn't tell the girls I was doing this because I wanted it to be a surprise! 

So after they went to bed, I grabbed their Uggs and went to work. 

These particular cookies and chocolate letters is tradition. So I found a Dutch bakery online and was able to order!

Which led to happy girls in the morning!