Welcome to My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar! Join me every day in opening a new door. Just like last year, I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmas recipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes… So sit back, relax and enjoy!
10 DECEMBER
With all this julehygge (Christmas fun and coziness), I’m getting mighty thirsty, so let’s talk beer! Beer is called øl. Christmas beer is called juleøl or julebryg (‘Yule brew’). And thisadvert from Tuborgis an essential part of Danish Christmas – yep, the coca cola lorry can go take a hike! 😉
So who’s ready for a beer? Here’s a basket of beer that I always buy for my Dad at Christmas. It’s an ‘advent calendar’. Twenty-four different bottles of Danish Christmas beer. One for every day of December…hic!
If you live in Denmark, you’ll know that beer and sodas are sold in glass bottles. There’s a deposit system on most of the bottles – so don’t throw your money away by throwing them into the recycling containers! (Tin cans also have a deposit on them, so you need to be careful with those too.) At traditional Danish lunches where we eat ryebread with lots of toppings, beer and snaps – and which can literally last for hours on end – you’ll see lots (and lots…) of beer or soda/soft drink bottles on the table. Now you can, of course, just plonk the bottles on the table. But in my family, we like to add a little bit of extra flair…
How about putting an apron on your bottles? My DDDMIL (Dearly-Departed-Dear-Danish-Mother-in-Law) made me a whole set of these in different Christmas fabrics. Kitsch but quaint!
And the kids and I turned these beer bottles into reindeers! (Also a great way to decorate bottles that you’re giving to an uncle, colleague, etc.)
Hmmmm, I think that calls for a Tuborg?
Skål og glædelig jul! Or should I say, Glædelig Jul og godt tub’år!
And don’t forget to check back here tomorrow when we open the next door!
Welcome to My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar! Join me every day in opening a new door. Just like last year, I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmas recipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes… So sit back, relax and enjoy!
9 DECEMBER
Okay, it’s 9 December and – as you can see – we’re a bit behind with our Advent candle! So, while we burn it like fury, and try to catch up to the right day, get out your scissors and let’s get crafty! 🙂
Today we’re making kræmmerhus (cones). Which – along with paper woven hearts – are a common decoration you’ll see hanging on Danish Christmas trees. And don’t worry – they are very easy to make. Just ask any Danish nursery kid… Giant ones, tiny ones: you can use them in lots of ways. Make a large version, fill it with a gift to give to a friend. Hang them in your hallway or in windows. Or, as we usually do, on the Christmas tree – filled with nuts, pebernødder, a clementine or some sweets. Buy you may have to refill them…’cos pesky little nisser (elves) have a habit of empyting them when you aren’t looking!
Okay, let’s get started! Take a piece of carton or thick paper. Wallpaper works really well for this. Take a plate, draw a circle on the ‘wrong side’ of your paper, then cut out.
Cut out a long rectangle of paper – this is going to be the ‘handle’. If you have a glue gun, this is the time to get it out. Otherwise use glue or a glue stick. Fold the circle in on itself to form a cone. Stick down the edges.
Take the ’handle’ and stick it on. Leave the kræmmerhus to dry.
Decorate your cones with doillies, bits of pipe cleaner, glansbilleder (scraps), feathers, beads, ribbon. Just let your imagination run riot. We’ve just started working on these ones…more glue and bling bling coming up!
So, now that we have some kræmmerhuse, all we need is a Christmas tree. But – as we’re in Denmark – and will have a real fir tree (not the plastic variety) that won’t be happening until the week before Christmas…
Don’t forget to check back here tomorrow when we open the next door!
Welcome to my My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar! Join me every day in opening a new door. Just like last year, I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmas recipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes… So sit back, relax and enjoy!
And what is in the glass? Gløgg! A nice cup of Danish mulled wine to keep us warm and cosy on this dreich night… We had our first snow on Friday night but now the temperature has risen again and we’ve got rain – boo! 😉
Ready to glug, glug, glug our gløgg, gløgg, gløgg
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Every family has their own favourite gløgg recipe or brand they like to buy. Go google gløgg recipes and you’ll see just how many variations there are – some for kids, some absolutely full of snaps that are lethal! 🙂 Just do your own thing and don’t listen to the purists. I warm (and keep warm) our supermarket gløgg in my crockpot but a large saucepan on a low heat will do the job just as well. Don’t boil it or you’ll lose the alcohol! But make sure to add a large bowlful (or packet) of sliced almonds and raisins to your red wine concotion. For me, it’s the act of fishing for the ‘bits’ at the bottom that turns it into a true gløgg experience…
You can buy ready mixed bags of almonds and raisins from Danish supermarkets
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It’s also tradition in our family that we drink gløgg on Lille Juleaften (Little Christmas Eve – 23 December) along with our homemade æbleskiver. Mums! [as the Danes say for ‘Yummy!’)
Skål! Cheers! And don’t – hic! – forget to check back here tomorrow when we open the next door!
Welcome to My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar! Join me every day in opening a new door. I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmas recipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes… So sit back, relax and enjoy!
7 DECEMBER
Today, I bring you…nisser!
Admittedly not one of my personal favourite parts of a Danish Christmas. But nisser – elves – feature heavily in Danish Christmas songs, stories and, of course, decorations. At school, kids play ‘Secret Santa’ for each other by being a nisseven or ‘elf friend’. Watch out for the bad elves though…’cos they leave grød (porridge) in your shoes. Anyway, love them or hate them, you can’t get away from them. They’re everywhere – even hanging around at the school dentist (along with their giant toothbrushes).
I’m not quite sure whether the dental assistants love or hate nisser. They had a jar full of syltede nisserumper (pickled elf bottoms) on the reception desk… 😉
Anyway, would you like to make your own big, nosy nisse, that’s easy peasy to do and won’t take more than 10 minutes?
You’ll need:
thin felt or stiff material
sewing machine or needle, thread
large wooden bead or ball
a bit of stuffing or the wool that you use for making felt (name escapes me)
glue (I love my hot glue gun!)
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Cut out a ‘hat’ for your elf from the felt. Don’t worry too much, a rough triangle will do. Fold it over and sew it down one edge. Then turn it inside out, so the stitches don’t show, using a pencil to help you get right into the little pointy top.
Put a bit of the stuffing inside the hat (this will also help it to stand upright). Stick on a large wooden bead for his ‘nose’, just under the brim of the hat. The hot glue gun is great for this, no hanging around.
Then take more of the stuffing and pull it to bits, so you end up with a pile of smaller pieces. Use this to make his beard and stick that on underneath the hat/nose.
And while you get on with making your very own nisse, have a listen to a famous song about them. (Yep, you can’t beat a bit of John Mogensen – he’s classic!)
Welcome to my My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar! Join me every day in opening a new door. Just like last year, I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmas recipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes… So sit back, relax and enjoy!
6 DECEMBER
The last of yesterday’s storm (code-named “Bodil” in Denmark, “Sven” in Sweden) is still blowing outside but luckily no damage here – though I just looked out the window and can see that one of our rhododendron bushes got uprooted and is now lying at the bottom of the garden! 😛
Anway, today let’s talk about traditional Danish Christmas baking. So what are we making? [Or at least, what is my husband making…but more on that below.] Æbleskiver (Danish Christmas donuts). Now, if you happen to have kids, there’s a good chance that – even six days in to December – you are already thoroughly sick of the sight of the darn things! ‘Cos they’re served at every single nursery, school or family party. But, hey ho, I can always manage to eat just one more of them (my record at one sitting is about 15)…
Æbleskiver! Danish Christmas Donuts!
Now, you can buy pretty decent æbleskiver frozen in bags from the supermarket. But if you’d like to have a go at making them yourself, then read on. Just make sure you set aside a whole morning, afternoon or evening for the process, because they are time consuming to cook. It’s always my husband who makes these (this is the one, I repeat one time of the year that he ever cooks) and he uses his Dearly-Departed-Dad’s recipe…
You’ll need one of these dinky pans. No need to buy one just for the occasion – try asking a Danish neighbour or friend if you can borrow one! Don’t live in Denmark? Then try amazon…
For 30 donuts you’ll need:
3 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
a quarter litre of kærnemælk (buttermilk)
2dl milk or cream (I’d go with cream, my Danish hubby sometimes uses milk – boo!)
250g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½-1 teaspoon ground cardamom
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Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl until it’s fairly frothy. Easiest with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the flour, baking powder and ground cardamom. Make sure it’s well mixed, then leave to rest for about 15 minutes.
Heat up your donut pan, put a tiny bit of oil or butter in each of the holes and fill each hole about two-thirds of the way up (they’ll swell up). When there are lots of bubbles on the surface of each donut, flip over. In my husband’s family the tradition is to use knitting needles… We used size 3 But a skewer will do.
When the little donut balls are browned on both sides remove from the pan.
Serve warm with icing sugar (or granulated sugar) and jam. To eat them the Danish way:
each person takes a plate
put a spoonful of (icing, caster or granulated) sugar and jam on to your plate
put two or three donuts on to your plate
dip the donuts into the sugar and jam on your plate
repeat as necessary
Velbekomme! And if you can’t eat them all today, don’t worry. They freeze perfectly.
Don’t forget to check back here tomorrow when we open the next door!
Welcome back to My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar! Join me every day in opening a new door. Just like last year, I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmas recipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes… So sit back, relax and enjoy!
5 DECEMBER
There’s a hefty storm a brewin’ in Denmark today – going to hit us in Copenhagen this afternoon and will blow for the whole evening. Bringing with it sleet and snow… So we’re being advised to batten down the hatches and stay indoors. So how about getting cosy and enjoying some homemade konfekt? Which is the Danish word for little sweets – usually involving copious amounts of marcipan, Danish nougat (a very soft brown fudge, not to be confused with French white nougat or Spanish túrron) and chocolate. Hooray! You’ll typically see konfekt served at Christmas, as party food or at the end of a meal instead of dessert. Here’s what we enjoyed in front of the telly last night, watching the day’s instalment of the children’s tv Christmas calendar…
Start with a pack of marcipan (at least 250g), a large bar of chocolate (200g) and whatever else you have on hand: dried apricots, dates, Smarties or M+Ms, tiny marshmallows, icing sugar, edible gold, food colouring and tiny paper cases…
Enlist the help of some little elves. Though keep your eye on them because they eat rather copious amounts of marcipan etc while they work…
And then just let your imagination run riot.
If you want to be more creative, just ‘google’ pictures of konfekt. You can do nougat-filled-yule-logs, coconut balls, boozy flavoured marcipan etc, etc, etc… (If you’re a Danish marcipan freak like me, then you must try making a fabulous Danish cake – Mazarinkage. My recipe for that is right here.) But this is our family-favourite-five-minute-konfekt. The hardest part? Waiting it for the chocolate to dry! 😉
Velbekomme!
Storm or no storm, hope you have a fantastic evening. And don’t forget to check back here tomorrow when we open the next door!
Welcome back to My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar! Join me every day in opening a new door. Just like last year, I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmas recipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes… So sit back, relax and enjoy!
4 DECEMBER
Brag alert!!! I have all my Christmas shopping done and dusted!!! Yep, I got most of it done last month, so that this month I can concentrate on enjoying the Christmas spirit. As opposed to stressing out over the queues in the shops, temperatures dropping every day and the first snowflakes in sight! Latest news from the Danish weather people is that we will have stormy weather tomorrow followed by snowflurries on Friday… 🙂
Christmas (w)rapping!
But I digress! Here’s one of my favourite Danish Christmas songs which – ho, ho, ho – mentions the stress of Christmas shopping in Magasin– one of Denmark’s oldest department stores (now, sadly, owned by the British chainstore Debenhams).
MC Einar‘s rap song “Jul, det’ cool!” (‘Yule, it’s cool’) is not only catchy but absolutely spot on with its lyrics!
“….It’s Christmas, it’s cool, have a look around, 15,000 people in Magasin. They have wet leather shoes, they have scarves on, and they have coats, gift packs, lots they have to do; but they’re enjoying themselves – of course they are! plastic stars, plastic fir trees and plastic snow…”
Turns out that those crazy Danes love the song too…because it’s the third ’most played’ Christmas song in Denmark (after Chris Rea and Wham!). (You can see what other songs are top of Julemanden‘s hitlist here.) And now for our singalong…
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“JUL, DET’ COOL” – MC EINAR
Det skete i de dage i november engang, at de første kataloger satte hyggen i gang.
Det jul, det cool, det nu man hygger sig bedst. Det er julebal i Nisseland, familiernes fest. Med fornøjet glimt i øjet, trækker folk i vintertøjet, til den årlige folkevandring op og ned af Strøjet. Der bli’r handlet pakket ind, og der bli’r købt og solgt, tøsne snot i næsen det er pissekoldt. Det er vinter, man forventer vel lidt kulde og sne; men det’ er da klart at så’n en sag kommer bag på DSB. Intet vrøvl har de forsvoret, det de helt sikker på; men ved den første rim på sporet går møllen i stå. Folk de tripper, skælder ud, ser på deres ure, og sparker efter invalide, ynkelige duer. Der er intet man kan gøre og de sure buschauffører, gør det svært at praktisere julehumøret. “Gå så tilbage, for helvede,” råber stodderen hæst. Men det jul, det cool, det nu man hygger sig bedst.
Det jul, det cool, graner lirekasser, der er mænd, der sælger juletræer på alle åbne pladser. 12 bevægelige nisser og en sort mekanisk kat i et vindue ud mod Strøjet trækker flere tusind watt. Kulørte julegave pakker i kulørte juleposer, selv i Bilka, Irma og alle landets Brugser, er der ægte julestemning og gratis brunekager, der er hylder fyldt med hygge, der er hygge på lager, og hos damerne i Illum kan man få det som man vil, “Kontant eller på konto, hr.? Skal prisen dækkes til?” De smiler og er flinke, mest til fruerne i minker og gi’r gode råd om alt fra sexet undertøj til sminker, og vi andre fattig røve, vi kan gå i Dalle Valle, der er damerne så flinke, at de smiler pænt til alle. Der er masser tøj i kasser, der helt sikker passer. Det jul, det cool, graner lirekasser.
Det jul, det cool, kig dig lidt omkring, 15.000 mennesker i Magasin. De har våde lædersko, de har halstørklæder på, og de har overfrakker, gave, pakker, masser de skal nå; men de hygger sig selvfølgelig gør de det, plastikstjerner, plastikgran og plastiksne. Sætter stemning i systemer, det så nemt og nul problem, og kød blot julestuens julesæt med fire fine cremer, eller sukkerkrukker, pyntedukker, pænt mondænt og ganske smukt og søde sæt proptrækker, glas og øloplukker. Fra en skjult højtaler installation “Et barn er født i Betlehem” i Hammodorgelversion, vi traditionsbundne folk i traditionernes land, så vi hygger os li’ så fint vi kan, og særlig uundværlig det er Magasin. Det jul, det cool, kig dig lidt omkring.
(Højtaler lyde, som slutter med “Jamen du godeste er det allerede”) jul, det cool sikke tiden den går, der er intet lavet om siden sidste år, det de samme ting vi spiser ,det de samme ting vi laver, det de samme ting i TV, det de samme julegaver, samme penge problemer det dyrt og hårdt, udelukkende overtrukne kontokort. Overflod og fråds med familie og med venner, samvittigheden klares med en Ulandskalender. Det er julefrokost tid traditionsspilleri, spritkørsel, utroskab og madsvineri, vi har prøvet det før vi ved præcis hvad der sker, slankekur i januar og alt det der, det et slid; men der er lang tid til næste år. Det jul, det cool sikke tiden den går.
Okay, it’s a (w)rap. Hurry up and get your Christmas shopping done. But don’t forget to check back here tomorrow when we open the next door!
Welcome back to My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar! Join me every day in opening a new door. Just like last year, I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmasrecipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes… So sit back, relax and enjoy!
3 DECEMBER
Christmas in Denmark just isn’t Christmas without…snaps! (Also known as akvavit or brændevin). I got this recipe from one of my DDSILs (Dear Danish sister-in-laws) back in 1999. It tastes of coffee and orange so, though not really suited for drinking with sild (herring), it’s a lovely wee warming drink on a chilly afternoon. You don’t live in Denmark and can’t get snaps? Never fear, you can also make it with a bottle of neutral vodka. Ideally it needs to sit and brew for 35-40 nights (but will be perfectly drinkable after a couple of weeks) so, if you want to make some for the coming festive season, you’d better get your (ice) skates on! 😉
You’ll need:
one orange (appelsin)
30-40 cloves (nelliker)
100g soft brown sugar (brun farin)
40g coffee beans (hele kaffe bønner)
vanilla pod (vanillestang)
bottle of neutral snaps, e.g. Brøndums or vodka (en flaske snaps uden ‘smag’ som Brøndums)
First of all, find a very large glass (e.g. pickling) jar that will be big enough to hold the snaps and the orange. Stick the cloves into the orange. Or get one of Santa’s little helpers to help you… ;D
Mmm, it’s already beginning to smell of Christmas…
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Put the brown sugar into the jar.
Add the coffee beans.
Pop in the orange and the vanilla pod (split in two, if you’re so inclined).
Pour in a bottle of neutral snaps or vodka.
Clamp the lid down and give the jar a good shake.
And now comes the hard part…waiting all those long days and nights before you can drink it! (Though go ahead and shake the jar occasionally, if that would make you feel better.). When the time is up, you can sieve it through a coffee filter, or just pour out what you need straight from the jar.
Welcome back to My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar! Join me every day in opening a new door. Just like last year, I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmas recipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes… So sit back, relax and enjoy!
2 DECEMBER
Time to get your scissors and glue out – today we’re at the craft table! The Danes say that “Jul er hjerternes fest“. That “Christmas is the festival of hearts”. Yep, look around and you’ll see hearts everywhere. Gingerbread hearts, crocheted hearts, heart-shaped tree ornaments and…the ubiquitous Danish woven paper hearts, which you’ll see hanging in windows or on the branches of the Christmas tree.
Danish woven hearts
So are you ready to “jule” (yep, the Danes even use the word ‘Christmas’ as a verb!) and make some easy peasy Danish Christmas heart crafts?
WOVEN PAPER HEART
My dearly departed Danish father-in-law loved to make things out of paper and was a dab hand at the very intricate woven designs. But be warned: in order to do paper weaving, you have to have nimble fingers, bucketloads of patience and Danish blood in your veins. You’re still determined to try? Hmm, then I’d suggest borrowing a book from your local Danish library. Or try, for example, http://www.julidannevang.dk/klip/klip.shtml
Intricate Danish hearts
But I’m going to show you the two-minute version – the cheat’s version – as taught to me by my daughter, aged 11. You’ll need two pieces of paper or carton in different colours. (Red and white, if you want to be really traditional.) Mark out the shape (see below) and draw a line in the middle, up to the point where the edge starts to curve. Cut out the shapes and then cut along the middle lines.
Easier than it looks!
Turn the white carton at right angles and weave the first ‘finger’ through the red carton.
Nearly there!
Weave the red ‘finger’ over the white and – hey presto – færdig (done)! Just add a dab of glue or a piece of sticky tape, to stop the heart from falling apart. Use blue tack (or, as Danish kids call it, ‘pædagog-snot‘ = ‘teacher snot’!) to fix them on your window pane. Or add a paper loop, and hang them on the tree.
All ready for putting in the windows…
FABRIC HEART
You could, of course, buy these in the shops. But the cutest/kitschest/most precious ones are, without doubt, those handmade ones that your little darling brings home from kindergarten, nursery or school.
Super simple. Cut two heart shapes out of fabric. Tip: if you use zigzag scissors, you won’t have problems with edges fraying. (Felt fabric is perfect for this job.) You can make them any size you like, but hearts about the size of your palm work well.
I ♥ red felt!
Sew round the edges, leaving an opening for stuffing. You can use a sewing machine or do it ‘old school’ with a large needle and thick thread. Stuff the heart, then sew shut.
Nearly there!
Add a loop at the top of the heart, so you can hang it up (on the tree, on a door handle, etc). You can also add some beads, glitter glue, etc. We went for the simple look and used this plain ribbon that says “God Jul”. Which, as you will remember, has nothing to do with God!
Not a dry eye in the house…awww!
Okay, we’re done at the craft table for today. Don’t forget to tidy up after yourself and check back here tomorrow when we open the next door!
Welcome to My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar! Join me every day in opening a new door. Just like last year, I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmas recipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes… So sit back, relax and enjoy!
1 DECEMBER
We’re starting off the calendar with candles…
First off, an Advent Candle – et kalenderlys. An essential at the Danish breakfast table in the cold, dark, dark, dark month of December.
And then we have Advent Sunday candles. Yep, those crazy Danes just can’t get enough of their candles. And, really, who can blame them? In the month of December it’s dark in these parts from about 3.30pm. And doesn’t get light until about 8am. So any kind of light is welcome! Today – Sunday 1 December – it’s the first Sunday of Advent. So we light the first candle – of four – in our Advent decoration.
Advent Sunday candles
Don’t forget to check back here tomorrow when we open the next door!
Intricate Danish hearts
Easier than it looks!
Nearly there!
All ready for putting in the windows…
I ♥ red felt!
Nearly there!
Not a dry eye in the house…awww!
