Christmas in Copenhagen

Beautiful nativity on LDS Temple grounds

Glaedelig Jul! 

(Merry Christmas!)

Christmas is a charming time to be in Copenhagen, and we're really enjoying our Danish Christmas. 

Our neighbors invited us to their home so they could share with us a traditional Christmas dinner. We ate roast pork, boiled potatoes, red cabbage, and gravy. It was very good (although I noticed a fair amount of red cabbage left on my kids' plates). We also had fried pork rinds, which are a real favorite here. 






At a co-worker's home another evening,we were able to sample the traditional Danish Christmas dessert of cold rice pudding, 'risengrod.' It is served cold with warm cherry sauce on top. A peeled almond is hidden in the serving dish and the person who then finds the almond in his or her own bowl gets a present. Maurie found the almond that night and brought home a gift of flodeboller (a Danish chocolate/marshmallow treat). That same night, our friends also lit their Christmas tree for us to see. They light real candles on their trees here, and usually just once on Christmas Eve. They lit it early just for us. It was really pretty.








We attended Travis's work family Christmas party and learned a few more traditions. We ate aebleskivers (yummy, sweet, warm, bread balls) dipped it jam and powdered sugar, and listened to Christmas carols while making crafts and decorations for the Christmas tree. After children had covered the tree with newly made ornaments and chains, they began calling, "Julemand! Julemand!" We realized they were calling for Santa Claus. Of course, we joined in and were as excited as anyone to see the nordic-looking Santa arrive. As he walked into the room children began to gather, not to him, but to the tree. They and their parents formed a circle around the tree. Julemand joined hands with them and they danced and sang around the tree. It was really fun. The children never did sit on Santa's lap. They don't do that here. But I loved the singing around the tree!

The kids have had fun at Christmas parties in church youth group and at school. In both cases, they played a game similar to our "white elephant" gift exchange game. It involves dice and stealing presents with a timer both while the gifts are still wrapped and after they've been unwrapped. They had a lot of fun. 

They had less fun when I made them all go caroling, but they endured. We definitely surprised our neighbors, but they seemed to enjoy it. It was fun to visit at the door for a minute and leave them with some cinnamon rolls. One neighbor listened to us sing and then said, "This is not our tradition." She probably thought we were such strange Americans. 

The Danes love to decorate and make the holiday cozy. The shopping areas and quaint walking streets are filled with Christmas trees, street performers playing Christmas carols, white lights, and red hearts (a common Danish Christmas decoration). It's so fun strolling through these areas! We spent last Saturday in downtown Copenhagen and really enjoyed being part of the festivities. 

Ben and a model of the
tallest man in modern history.
(At "Believe it or Not")

We walked along Stroget, the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe, enjoying the lights and decorations. The boys stopped in shops like "Lego" and "Believe It or Not," while Maurie and I shopped for scarves. In one of the large, open squares a Christmas market was set up with little north-pole-looking buildings where vendors were selling crepes, spiced nuts, Christmas decorations, gifts, sausages, and all kinds of unique foods and Christmas items. 

The Christmas Market

Giant Christmas tree at Copenhagen City Hall (on the right)

3 from the "nice list"

Julemand and his reindeer

Sausages at the market

Hearts, garland, and lights are hung across the walking streets.

Our favorite street performers.

Had to take a picture of this "tree" made out of
flodeboller--a Danish chocolate covered
marshmallow treat my boys love.

On Nyhavn Street

Playing tourists for the day :)

Grand hotel near Nyhavn all done-up for Christmas.

Our day in the city was topped off with a visit to Tivoli. Tivoli is the world's second oldest amusement park and is given quite a Christmas make-over during December. It is completely decked-out with Christmas villages, flocked trees, lights, wreaths, and special Christmas foods. The Danes are very traditional and don't spoil holiday treats by eating them at other times of the year. When December comes, Christmas treats are exciting and special. 

After walking through the gardens and enjoying the Christmas sights, we warmed up with some hot chocolate and crepes. The kids rode on "The Demon" roller coaster, and we enjoyed watching the choreographed water and light show to music from The Nutcracker. There were many neat things to see and do, but after a while the immense crowd wore us out and we began making our way home. Walking toward the exit, Maurie and Grant found several cups that could be recycled on-site for money. This began a quest to find more cups and eventually they earned about 30 kroners ($5) each. We all thought this was a fun end to the evening. As we began the several block walk back to our car, I noticed that Maurie and Grant were giving away their newly earned kroner to the street performers and severely less-fortunate people along our way. Seeing this was the perfect end to our charming day of Christmas fun! 

Enjoying Tivoli