Kerstboompizza’s maken voor het kerstdiner op school

What is “kerstdiner op school” in the Netherlands?

In Dutch primary schools, the week before Christmas vacation almost always includes a kerstdiner op school. Kids show up in dressy clothes after dark, classrooms get strung with lights and tablecloths, and every family contributes a homemade dish to a class potluck. The tradition is decoupled from religion (Dutch primary education is largely secular), and the kerstdiner is more about the visual ritual than the food: candles, twinkly classroom lights, kids sitting in a long row eating each other’s parents' cooking. It functions as the school year’s mid-point reset before two weeks of kerstvakantie.

In this clip, a parent makes kerstboompizza’s (Christmas-tree-shaped pizzas from puff pastry, tomato sauce, and cheese) for the class potluck.