Christmas in Belgium

Belgium is a country divided by language but united by Christmas indulgence. Whether you celebrate in Dutch-speaking Flanders or French-speaking Wallonia, the season involves heroic quantities of chocolate, beer, and waffles. Sint-Niklaas handles the gift-giving on December 6. Christmas Day itself is reserved for the family table, where Flemish stoofvlees and Walloon foie gras represent the two halves of a country that agrees on very little except that December should be delicious.

Sint-Niklaas: The Real Gift Day

Like the Netherlands, Belgium's main gift-giving occasion is December 6, not December 25. Sint-Niklaas arrives by steamship from Spain in mid-November, and children leave their shoes by the fireplace with carrots for his horse. In the morning, the shoes are filled with chocolate, speculoos, tangerines, and small gifts. The tradition is observed identically in Flanders and, as Saint-Nicolas, in Wallonia. It is one of the few cultural practices that crosses Belgium's language border without friction.

A Tale of Two Christmas Dinners

Christmas dinner reveals Belgium's cultural divide. In Flanders, the table often features croquettes aux crevettes (shrimp croquettes), vol-au-vent (chicken in cream sauce in puff pastry), or carbonnade flamande (beef and beer stew). In Wallonia, the French influence shows: oysters, foie gras, smoked salmon, and a Buche de Noel for dessert. In Brussels, officially bilingual, both traditions appear on the same table.

What unites both sides is beer. Belgian Christmas beers are a serious cultural institution. Over 100 breweries produce seasonal Kerstbier or Biere de Noel each year. These are typically strong (8-12% ABV), dark, and spiced, and they are consumed in quantities that would alarm the holiday health campaigns of less devoted beer nations.

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