The Environmental Psychology department celebrated a very gezellig Pakjesochtend in the Orangerie on 5 December, complete with vegan hot chocolate, pepernoten and banket, a handful of surprises and seasonal sweaters.

Our group members were randomly assigned Secret Sinterklaas matches and given a budget of 10 euros to give a gift based on their hobbies and wishlist. In the spirit of sustainability, nearly all of the gifts were decidedly green: lots (and lots) of food (almost every present featured a Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bar), plenty of plants, books (including some second hand selections), a mushroom growing kit and gift cards for local experiences were some of the highlights.

Including a poem with your present is a beloved Sinterklaas tradition, and our researchers did not disappoint: while most of the rhymes were full of kind words and personal stories, the epic verses that treated the opportunity more like a roast than an ode really stood out and had the whole group crying with laughter. Several colleagues joined us online, some with Christmassy backgrounds and one PhD candidate even calling in from Schiphol before his flight home for the holidays.

The party felt extra festive thanks to the lovely snow falling in the garden between the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences buildings on the Grote Rozenstraat and Grote Kruisstraat. The tall trees and meandering paths used to be the Hortus Botanicus (Botanical Garden) of the University of Groningen in the early 17th century, when it started as an herb garden planted by pharmacist Henricus Munting (and namesake for one of the faculty complex’s buildings where some of our colleagues work).