7 fun facts about Christmas in the Netherlands

It won't be long before it's time to celebrate Christmas! Every country has its own way of celebrating Christmas and its own traditions. Wherever you celebrate Christmas in the world, it is a festive occasion centred around joy, delicious food and togetherness. In the Netherlands, the holiday cheer begins with visits to Christmas markets, for instance in Amsterdam. Christmas in the Netherlands lasts three days, during which the Dutch eat lots of Christmas stollen and enjoy gourmet meals. Are you curious about more fun facts about Christmas in the Netherlands? Keep reading to find out more.

1. Christmas markets in Amsterdam

A few weeks before Christmas begins, Dutch people visit Christmas markets. Amsterdam has several to choose from. Museum Square will host the Christmas Village from 4 to 28 December 2025. Here you will find not only stalls selling the most wonderful gifts, but also a beautiful ice skating rink. Between 13 December 2025 and 3 January 2026, the annual Amsterdam Winter Paradise will take place, a location filled with Christmas fun, both indoors and outdoors. Here you can also go ice skating, buy beautiful gifts and ride a Ferris wheel! Smaller Christmas markets in Amsterdam can be found at the Westergasfabriek on 21 December 2025 or the sustainable Christmas market at Café de Ceuvel on 21 and 22 December 2025. If you are in Amsterdam in December, we definitely recommend visiting one of these Christmas markets.

2. Three days of Christmas fun 

The Dutch celebrate Christmas for a whole three days! In addition to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we also celebrate the day after Christmas in the Netherlands. It's actually just like in England, but in the Netherlands it's not called Boxing Day, just second Christmas Day. The Germanic tribes celebrated a Midwinter Festival, which later evolved into a twelve-day Christmas period from 25 December to 6 January. Sadly, ten days have since been scrapped. In 1773, it was decided in the Netherlands to keep the first and second day of Christmas (and Christmas Eve of course). Since 1964, these have been official holidays for many Dutch people, with time off work for some. And just like in many other parts of the world, Christmas in the Netherlands is celebrated with family, often with gifts and, of course, some tasty food.

3. Santa Claus vs Sinterklaas

Do you agree that Santa Claus looks a lot like the Dutch Sinterklaas? That's because Santa Claus is inspired by the Dutch traditional figure! Sinterklaas is a Dutch holiday celebrated on 5 December, but the fun starts in mid-November when he arrives by boat from Spain with his helpers, known as pieten. Throughout this period, children receive small gifts in their shoe after placing it by the fireplace and singing a song. On the 5th of December, it is Pakjesavond (Present Evening), when families exchange gifts and poems. The story goes that Sinterklaas gives gifts to children who have been good during the past year.

The name Santa Claus is based on Saint Nicolas, which is also based on Sinterklaas. The two have several similarities. They are both dressed in red, wear white beards and have friendly helpers. But there are also differences. For example, Sinterklaas is tall and slim, has a religious background and a stately appearance. In comparison, Santa Claus is short, has a round belly, doesn’t wear religious symbols, and has a cheerful appearance. Not to mention that Santa Claus travels in a sleigh pulled by reindeers, while Sinterklaas does so on a white horse. Either way, they are both friendly characters who hand out gifts in December, so both very popular with children.

4. No Christmas without a Christmas tree

In the past, Dutch families only brought Christmas trees into their homes after the Sinterklaas celebrations on 5 December. People believed that it would bring bad luck to have a Christmas tree before this date. Nowadays, people bring a tree into their homes whenever they want. Some do this mid-November, some at the beginning of December and some stick to the old tradition. Everyone decorates their Christmas trees in their own way, whether it’s a fake or a real one. Just like bringing the Christmas tree into the house, nowadays it no longer matters as much when you take it down. Traditionally, the Christmas tree should be removed after Epiphany on January 6th, but some people leave it up a little longer. After all, it is a festive addition to your home!

5. Christmas breakfast in the Netherlands

An essential part of Christmas breakfast in the Netherlands is the Christmas stollen, in Dutch it's called kerststol. This is a loaf of bread filled with raisins, currants, nuts and sometimes candied orange or lemon. But the most important ingredient is almond paste, a more crunchy type of marzipan. A Christmas stollen has a light texture, with a sweet taste from the raisins and a rich nutty flavour from the almond paste. This traditional Christmas bread originated in Germany, where it is called Weihnachtsstollen. The stollen at one point found its way to the Netherlands and has been a staple ever since. We even have a version that is served at Easter. What is the best way to eat a Christmas stollen? Cut off a thick slice, spread a layer of butter and then the almon paste over the stollen, and finally sprinkle with some icing sugar, and enjoy!

6. No Christmas without gourmet dining

Gourmetten is a typical Dutch tradition during Christmas. Gourmetten means that everyone sits around the table and prepares their own food on a hot plate. The table is filled with dishes of various types of meat, fish, vegetarian snacks, potatoes, baguettes, vegetables, sauces and much more. With gourmetten, the idea is to prepare small portions each time, so that you can fill the entire evening with lots of delicious food. You are basically cooking together, which makes it very gezellig (a typical Dutch word to describe a good time, which has no English translation), as the Dutch would describe it.

7. The Christmas costs

For many Dutch people, December is the most enjoyable month of the year, but also the most expensive. In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas is celebrated in the first week of December with gifts, good food and decorations. And just like the rest of the world, the Dutch also celebrate Christmas, which comes with many expenses, especially when it is celebrated for three days. Two celebrations in December with gifts and elaborate dinners, results in the Dutch spreading their costs. According to WorldRemit, the Netherlands is one of the countries in Western Europe that spends the least during Christmas. In 2023, this averaged €621 per household. Way less than in Germany (€1,561) or France (€1,079), but that shouldn't ruin the fun. After all, December is a month full of festivities in the Netherlands!

These facts about Christmas in the Netherlands have hopefully given you a better idea of how the Dutch celebrate the festive season. If you haven't made any plans yet and are still looking for a nice city to spend Christmas, you should definitely consider Amsterdam! Visit the Christmas markets, go ice skating on Museum Square or eat a piece of Christmas stollen, or take a cruise through the canals.  Amsterdam is even more beautiful when seen from the water, especially with all the Christmas lights and during the Amsterdam Light Festival (27 November 2025 – 18 January 2026). On behalf of the LOVERS Canal Cruises team, we wish you a Merry Christmas!