Well, really, this mini-episode is more like the Dutch and American versions of St. Nicolas waging a fierce holiday battle—a joyous, racous, Jenever and herring-fueled battle though it may be. This Very Special Martini Hour features two of our new friends from Amsterdam, Bob Van Duuren and…Sinterklaas! The former is Deke’s Dutch publisher. (More on him next week.) The latter is the Dutch equivalent of St. Nicolas. In the States, we have turned this character into a jolly, grandpa-like figure with a particularly girlish name. And in the process, we Americans have taken away all his edge, forced him to relocate to inhospitable terrain, and turned his dark, possibly child-stealing helpers into innocuous pointy-eared makers of toys. During our visit this month to Amsterdam—on the very eve of the celebration of Sinterklaas’ birthday—Deke and I recorded this exchange of cultural transmutation. Now we offer it before you, our beloved denizens of the dekePole.

This special (and short) episode is wrapped in good will and original holiday music. By way of extra giftwrap, Deke and I have each submitted a show graphic this week. See if you can guess which of us is filled with peace and gentle good will this time of year and which of us obviously has some dark Christmases Past in their closet.

For your consideration, this:

Or this (turn the page at your own risk):

Got to love Deke’s unique if slightly scary holiday vision. But seriously, doesn’t this make you want to over-indulge on eggnog with your challenging but loveable family?

Anyway, if you’ve need a break from your holiday celebrations, please come spend a few minutes with us. Here’s the regular-quality (128kbps) audio file. You can stream, or for best results, right-click and choose Download or Save. And don’t forget the usual suggestion to subscribe via iTunes.  Raising our martini glasses to you all, and wishing you peace and happiness (and appropriately administered cocktails) in the year ahead.