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!
12 DECEMBER
Just when the Danes are in the middle of stuffing themselves with æbleskiver and quaffing great quanties of snaps, julebrygand gløgg, they seem to stop for a moment mid-December and forget about Christmas for a few days (or at least a few evenings) and everyone is glued to the telly. Why? Um, because the European Women’s Handball Championship is taking place right now. And the Danes are c.r.a.z.y. about handball. Not really surprising as the modern rules were made up by a Dane (a teacher at our local school) way back in 1898, and the Danes just seem to be very good at it. Yep, interest here in Women’s handball is only surpassed by their interest in men’s handball – when the nation will once again be glued to their tellys in January.
Me? Not a handball fan. I get my kicks (as regular readers will know) from vinterbadning. Winterbathing, skinny dipping in the Danish sea all year round! 🙂 Here’s a photo from this morning, about 8.15am, just as it was beginning to get light.
And here we are, after our second swim…sorry about the quality, but as well as being very blustery it was also raining heavily! 😛
Here’s a better photo I took last week of the Christmas tree. Just hope it doesn’t blow away in tonight’s storm “Alexander”!
The water has been really quite ‘warm’ so far this year – no sign of any snow or ice yet. But to give you an idea of how extreme it can get, here’s a picture from when we were out swimming last January. Note the snow and icicles on the steps… You don’t have to be mad to be a winterbather but it helps! 😉
Keep yourselves warm, batten down the hatches for tonight’s storm and don’t forget to check back here tomorrow when we open the next door!
Diane 