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Sometimes as a parent you are just kind of forced to go with the flow. Speaking of that, here is the story of Black Pete and Santa.
The boys friend Josh came over to play. He was SO excited because Black Pete and Santa were coming to his house that night. My kids got very curious. As I ease dropped I heard him tell them that each year Black Pete and Santa come to his house. They leave their shoes outside of their room, and if they have been good, they get candy in their shoes. If they are bad, Black Pete comes into their room and whips them and takes them away.

I laughed, knowing that my kids would not be up for a whipping and went about my business. Seconds later the boys came running, totally excited that Black Pete and Santa were coming. I was in shock.

The kids spent tons of time building a Lego thing for the duo and making him a note which said that they had been really good and even made the two a Lego thing. They told them not to take the Lego's but to leave them some candy and to make sure Josh got some too.

Freaked out about the whipping, they put their shoes on the fireplace, locked their bedroom doors, and slept on the couch downstairs. It was so funny!

Well, sure enough Black Pete and Santa came and the boys were left unwhipped and safe and sound.

I was curious about this whole tradition and looked it up. Turns out it is very controversial because of the racism associated with it. Black Pete is actually Santa's slave. This is a tradition from the Netherlands, which is actually where my ancestors are from, so I think I was gypped as a kid. I guess my parents were trying not to be racist.

It was fun. It will be interesting to see if they remember it for next year.