It wouldn’t be Lille Juleaften (“Little Christmas Eve”) without…
Happy 23rd December! Our kids (plus Kiko, the rescue cat) have arrived for Christmas and today we’re enjoying some cozy, quiet time together after a few rather hectic weeks for all of us.
This morning we did a few simple crafts on the sewing machine…
Inspired by Jul med Ernst (a Swedish television programme I love watching every year), I tried making a Christmas star…
Looks rather complicated but actually is quite simple. I used 8 sheets of paper, a pair of scissors and a glue gun.
Straightforward, fast and satisfying!
Kiko has been enjoy his cat milk from our wedding china. So cute!
Very short, dark winter days here so we made sure to get out for a brisk walk in the village before we ate lunch. The sunshine was a bonus, yay!
Today’s lunch was leverpostej med champignon og bacon (“warm liverpâté with mushrooms and bacon”) on ryebread with a glass of dark ale.
Later in the afternoon we enjoyed a small slice of – delicious! – homemade Basque cheesecake (which the kids prepared yesterday) with a cup of Empress Grey tea.
One of our favourite Danish Christmas traditions is playing a game called pakkeleg. Everyone brings along a few small, wrapped gifts for the game. If you throw a Six with the dice, you take a packet from the pile. Play until all the gifts have been taken. But don’t open them yet!
Next you set a timer for somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes, turn it away from you and restart the game. This time round, if you throw a Six, you can “steal” a packet from one of the others. Always fun! The person with the most gifts in the first round might quickly lose them all. Or “steal” them back again!
When the timer goes off, that’s the end of the game and you can open the gifts…
You never know what will be in there!
Kiko got a few gifts too but right now, he’s napping!
Do you have any special “Little Christmas Eve” rituals or family traditions?
Have a fabulous Little Christmas Eve!
Hugs
Diane in Denmark
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12 Comments
Add Yours →Thanks for all the festive photos and ideas. I love to make Christmas stars too! Intrigued by your sewing craft–what is it? Love Kiko!
Thank you Diane, such a lovely group of photos and Christmas traditions! Kiko is certainly enjoying himself too. I saw the photo and thought…”Her husband is quite talented with paper stars” before realizing it was a still from a video! Time for a cup of tea and rest. Happy Christmas to you and your family 🎄
Merry Christmas, Diane. I was just watching one of your videos from 2017, about pampering yourself. I checked my e-mail and there was your newsletter.
Your paper star is beautiful. What I saw of your Christmas tree was colorful and pretty. And of course, Kiko is adorable.
Enjoy the rest of the Christmas season.
Love and hugs from Boston, MA,
Lorraine
I meet up with dear friends of many years for supper at a steak house each December 23rd. We call it Christmas Eve Eve. We’ve done this for ten years or so. We attended the same church together as our children grew up. Some of the children still join us as their schedules permit. The ‘children’ are now in their thirties and forties.
While we see one another throughout the year, we’re rarely all together as a large group, so it’s lovely to visit.
Merry Christmas.
What lovely traditions!! Is it possible to post the instructions for the star? I’d love to make a few.
Thank you for sharing, Diane! I am very grateful for all of your posts; your lovely spirit always brightens my day. Your star turned out beautiful <3. Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas and all the best in the new year!
Lovely star and traditions. My family and I are staying in Malmö this Christmas. We went to Copenhagen at the weekend and enjoyed walking round Royal Copenhagen Christmas tables and looking in the windows of La Glace (through the crowds queuing to go in!). A lovely day was had by all strolling through the streets and Christmas markets. Thanks for posting about your day out which gave us some great memories to take away with us . We also popped into a supermarket and got some of the breakfast chocolate to sample at some point too:-). Today we had a traditional Swedish Jul Christmas table at a lovely organic restaurant. Enjoy a wonderful Christmas with your family.
Only the best china for Kiko! Such a sweet kitty. The paper star is lovely. I’ll have to research the instructions. I want to make one.
My grandson made me a star just like that this year. I have it hanging in my front window. I love it!😍
Kiko seriously needs to be a model. So handsome!
I have always dreaded White Elephant games, but your version, keeping the gifts wrapped, is great! I will suggest it as a nicer alternative.
Happy Christmas, all!
Diane, wishing you and you family a very happy Christmas and a healthy wonderful New Year. Thank for sharing these photos and traditions, looks like good fun.
Thank you for cheering us on throughout the year, you’re very appreciated ❤️🎄🌟
Sounds like lots of fun! That star is certainly impressive and really inspiring for us all to get our craft on! Sounds like lovely time with the family!