That really depends on who you ask it. I always got small things like chocolate letters or a small toy in my shoe.
Santa, or Sinterklaas, travels on a horse. Kids leave out their shoes with gifts for the horse and they are replaced with presents.
They leave hay in their shoes for his horse
Carrots and hay
Hay and a carrot.
Shoes! To receive a present from Sinterklaas (sort of Santa Claus) on his birthday. Put them in front of the fire place with a carrot for the horse of Sinterklaas.
sinterklaas
Children in Holland and the Netherlands leave hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinterklaas' horse. They believe doing so will get them sweets in their shoes.
By horse.
They leave the shoe with a carrot or some hay in it and a bowl of water nearby "for Sinterklaas' horse"
Holland has a St. Nicolas, which is called 'Sinterklaas' and visits Holland from Spain every year on December 5th and brings gifts for children, but also a man who drops by at Christmas, named 'Kerstman' (Christmas man). Sinterklaas is a more popular tradition in Holland. And even in the olden days "Sinterklaas" was celebrated in England and other countries, later this changed into Santa Claus. Also, "Sinterklaas" has different sweets/candy and a huge parade every year. And instead of hanging a sock, Dutch people "zetten hun schoen" (place their shoes) He is also called Santa Claus.
Sinterklaas* They leave a carrot in their shoe.
Our kids don't actually walk around without shoes all day. We have a tradition called 'sinterklaas', kind of familiar to Christmas. We celebrate the birthday of Saint Nicholas. The children put one of their shoes under the chimney or next to a door and sing a 'sinterklaas song' just before they go to bed. The 'servants' of Saint Nicholas will then put a present in the shoe while everybody's asleep. The servant in this case are the parents that also bought the presents.