Welcome to my My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar! Join me every day in opening a new door. Once again, 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 it’s Sunday – the second Sunday of Advent, so this morning the kids got their second advent pressie. (Remember, we’ve abandoned the stress of the daily gifts involved in a pakkekalender.) Their presents were obviously a hit because they started reading/playing while there were still crumbs from rundstykker on the table… [In case you can’t stand the suspense, DS14 got Reeses Cups and the Cyanide and Happiness book, “Icecream and Sadness” and DD12 got modelling clay plus a Minion notebook and pencil.]
We lit the next candle in this year’s advent decoration…
…and tonight, after dinner, we’ll enjoy some æbleskiver (I posted the recipe for Danish Christmas donuts on 5 December)…
…and drink gløgg – Danish mulled wine. Just like æbleskiver, 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 which are white, 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. Just remember not to boil it – unless you want to lose the alcohol!
This year we’re trying a different brand, from Irma (a supermarket chain), and a non-alcoholic gløgg from IKEA.
Whatever gløgg you chose to make, remember to add a large bowlful (or packet) of hakkede mandler (chopped almonds) and rosiner (raisins) to your concoction. For me, it’s the act of fishing for the ‘bits’ at the bottom that turns it into a true gløgg experience…
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!
Diane 🙂
[…] Okay, it’s a (w)rap. Hurry up and get your Christmas shopping done, then relax with a cup of something warm and soothing, like varm kakao and a couple of klejner. (Or maybe some gløgg and æbleskiver?) […]