In a few days it will be that time: Christmas Eve. It seemed to be going in the right direction with the figures and with the measures. But last Friday, the hopes of many parents and children were dashed: the number of corona infections is too high, the measures are being tightened.
Families now have to decide what to do. Is it smart to invite grandma and grandpa? Do we get together with the whole family or do we cancel? Can it be just as cozy via Zoom?
Appointments continue
Figures from Datumprikker, the website and app for scheduling appointments, show that the number of appointments online is almost equal to the number of appointments in 2019, when there was no corona yet.
“Since last Friday’s press conference, there has been a 12 percent decrease in all appointments made,” says Paul Bongers, director of Datumprikker. “But if we only look at the Sinterklaas appointments, we see a small decrease of 5 percent, compared to the agreements made in 2019. So it seems that nineteen of the twenty appointments will continue around December 5th.”
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Last year around December 5 there was also a partial lockdown. Even then, the advice applied to a distance of one and a half meters and you were allowed to receive a maximum of three people at home. This year you can invite up to four people at home, says the last measures.
More than last year
When Bongers compares the figures with last year, he sees a big difference. “Compared to last year, 88 percent more Sinterklaas appointments have been scheduled. With Christmas it is even more than double: there are 125 percent more appointments planned than last year.”
Bongers does not know whether people ultimately decide to organize the Sinterklaas party differently, for example by celebrating it online. However, he can see that the group size of a planned event is around eight people.
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no drop
Arjan Kuiper, founder of Lootjestrek.nl, also recognizes the figures. “We can’t see whether people are celebrating Sinterklaas together or come up with something else creative, we can see that people are celebrating it. We can see from the online traffic on the site that it is busy. The growth in the number of raffle tickets is leveling off slightly compared to last year, but there is no decline.”
An earlier holiday survey, commissioned by Lootjestrek.nl, shows that Sinterklaas celebrates this year just as big as in 2019. This survey was conducted before last Friday’s press conference.
get together
“The figures show that the majority of people had the plan to get together before the press conference. It is possible that agreements are made, for example to get together only with the family bubble. Or video calls with grandparents and “I don’t know how most people organized the evening, but our figures show that package evening is celebrated, with an average group size of seven to eight people.”
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Few unsubscribes
Dirk Bloothoofd, organizer of the Amsterdam Sint Nicolaas Centrale and assistant Sinterklaas, also sees that many families simply go to celebrate Christmas Eve. “We have had few unsubscribes from private individuals. After the press conference, we sent a letter to all the people who booked a Sinterklaas and a Piet.”
The letter stated that the visits can continue under certain conditions. “It is not up to us how many people are in a room. But we have taken our own precautions. If there is a corona infection in the vicinity of a customer, we will not come. Sinterklaas stays at a distance, in any case from all adults. and the Piets have mouth caps with them.
Self-tests and QR codes
Sinterklaas and the Piets gather in a community center. There you need a QR code to enter. “And we have sent all employees an email asking them to do a self-test before they go out.”
Bloothoofd has had few cancellations from the private Saint Nicholas celebrations. A large number of companies have decided not to celebrate Sinterklaas. “After the press conference, about 75 percent canceled the appointment.”
Barehead gets it. “It is difficult to keep a distance with large groups. Some companies are creative, then we come to the company and employees can log in at home with their children via an online video connection. But that is difficult, though. The WiFi is good with one family, with the other it is choppy and there is a delay on the line. It is not the same as seeing that tension in the children when they are in front of you.”
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