The Festive Season Has Begun!

Denmark really is a pretty place to be at Christmas time, which as a matter of fact feels like the entire month of December with the amount of Christmassy things that are happening.

While there may not be the smell of freshly cut grass or long summer days that I normally relate to Christmas time, there is the smell of roasting sugar almonds throughout the streets of the town, short cosy winter days characterised by many candles being lit around the house each night and the special advent candles lit every Sunday. It is great to experience a cold Christmas like all of the ones in movies and stories.

  

In the month of December up until Christmas there is a tv program called 'Julekalendar' which shows one episode every night. Each year the series is a different Christmassy story, for example this year is called Tvillingerne og Julemanden and is about twins that are helping a man who they don't yet know is Santa to pretty much save Christmas. It is so 'hyggeligt' to sit down and watch it every night and follow the series.

In the evening on 29th November, the other exchange students in my town and myself attended the Christmas Parade in Viborg. We were given torches with real flame, then followed the parade walking around the town behind a band. At the end we came back to the main square in my town to watch the lights on the big Christmas tree be turned on for the first time this year.

 

  

After this, the other girls and I decided to go into Frellsen (a famous Danish confectionary shop) for a hot chocolate and flødeboller.

  

On the weekend of the 30th November & 1st December, I went on a trip to Copenhagen with a Rotarian from my club, his wife and their 15 year old granddaughter Liv. We caught the ferry over from Århus to Sjælland (the island that Copenhagen is on), this is something I haven't done before, so it was nice.

 

We walked up the Rundetårn (Round Tower) in Copenhagen. It was built by the King of Denmark in the 1630s, without stairs, so you walk up the tower on a big ramp that spirals around. There are stories in history about how they even took a horse and carriage up the tower.

  

Then we went into Tivoli, a famous, 170 year old theme park in Copenhagen. It was very beautifully decorated for Christmas, with so many trees, lights, elves and Christmas markets. We went on a couple of rides before eating dinner.

 

 

  

There was a weeping willow tree covered in lights so that every leaf was a light, it was incredibly beautiful!

  

The next day we saw Frederiksborg, a castle just out of Copenhagen that is almost 500 years old. It is probably my favourite castle that I have seen in Denmark.

   

  

 

 I had been waiting quite impatiently for the first snow of the season to come, after I had seen online that it had began snowing almost everywhere else in the northern hemisphere apart from Denmark! But finally on Thursday 5th December the snow came! I had seen that the weather forecast predicted a chance of snow, so had been glancing out the window all night hoping it would start snowing. Later that night while I was in bed, I looked out the window and was certain that it was snowing. I got up excitedly and watched it out the window as the snow swirled in the glow of the street light then began to gather on the ground like a white blanket. I couldn't contain my excitement so pulled on my jacket and boots over my pyjamas, walked past my slightly shocked and amused host family at around 10pm to go out and see the first snow for the winter.

     

The next day at school, Kelsey and I ran outside to take pictures and play in the snow. The Danes gave us some strange looks, but that didn't matter, we were both equally excited that there was snow!

  

  

On Friday 6th December, I went to my last school party in Denmark, which was a Christmas Party called Julebal (Christmas Ball).

 

On the Sunday, my host family and I made the first Christmas biscuits. We made some vanilla rings called Vanilje Kranse and small round cinnamon biscuits called Jødekager.

  

My Rotary Club had their Christmas break-up. First we went to a Christmas Church service at the very cute little church called Asmild Kirke. After this we had a traditional Danish Christmas dinner and celebrations. I was lucky to win a few prizes in the raffle, a scarf and some chocolates.

   

  

One afternoon, all the exchange students from my school got together at one girl's house and ate an early dinner. The two girls from Thailand cooked us traditional Thai food, it was delicious.

  

 

I made White Christmas for my host family. In my opinion it tasted really good, so I was glad that my host family thought so too.

  

On Friday 20th my school had their end of year Christmas break-up celebration. It began with one lesson at school that was allocated for just 'hygge', so the teacher brought coffee and we all just sat and chatted. Then we all went down the the Cathedral, Viborg Domkirke, to see a Christmas ceremony where they read passages from the bible and sang Christmas songs. After this, it was officially Christmas holidays.

  

My class and I went and had lunch together after at a cafe in town, which was so nice. Then I went with Emilie S. from my class to go ice-skating down near the lakes in my town. We had such a fun afternoon!

 

 

I must admit that I am a bit disappointed that there is no chance of snow for Christmas. Apparently it is the warmest Christmas that Denmark has had in over 150 years. But I am still very much looking forward to Christmas!