Chocolate letters on sale at HEMA.
While other countries are preparing for the approach of the Christmas season, Holland can enjoy a shorter wait for the Sinterklaas Season. In mid-November, Saint Nicholas (the basis for the North American figure Santa Claus) will arrive in the Netherlands by steamboat from Spain.
On Saint Nicholas’ eve (December 5th), children (and adults) receive as a gift the first letter of their first name in the form of a chocolate letter (be it dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate). Apparently the industrial manufacturers of these chocolate letters have taken great care to adjust the thickness and shape of the letters such that each letter contains the same amount of chocolate. Otherwise it would suck for the people whose names start with I instead of H.
But but but but but… that’s one of the key advantages of being a W!