I am 55 and it still is. It just remind of when i grew having nothing, my parents could not afford gifts. Christmas dinner was a little upgrade from our usual daily meals, very simple. But on Christmas we would have hommade cake and a bottle of soda , each of us will get one. But that was a very memorable for me, that is why every Christmas reminds me of our have-nots years. We can afford now, but it was different when your parents are still around.
I really enjoy watching your videos. My great grandparents came over to the USA “on the boat”. I love to learn abt life in Denmark. It wld have been great to see pictures of the cookies made for Christmas.
It brings back memories. I remember well the St. Lucia procession at the Danish Lutheran Church. Also memories of the big smorgasbord during Christmas Day. Eating risalamande, and whoever found the whole almond would win a prize. :)
I went to school in 60s. We didn't have "juleklippedag" and we did not go to church with the school. On the last day of school everybody met in the big hall and we sang Christmas hymns. The pupils from the upper grade (10) had made presents for the first graders (the youngest in those days). Also only the girls participated in the Lucia parade, with a girl normally from 8th grade as Lucia herself, who wore a crown of lit candles on her head, while the other just carried a candle in their hands. The boys were dressed in rather strange costumes with pointed hats and carrying short poles with a star on top, thus celebrating St. Steph3e though 13 days ahead of St. Stephen's Day.
Pretty spot on, one thing I would mention is the traditional calendar candle with the numbers from 1 through 24 going down the candle, and you burn the current date every day. Perhaps it in the blogpost you mentioned, but definitely something almost everyone has here. Come to think of it I'm not sure it is a Danish thing, but haven't seen it in American movies anyway.
My grandmother sewed bags from old wrapping paper for Julekalender. My favorite thing too, was the "almond in the rice pudding" to see who gets the chocolate Santa
We are also so full that the prize will be kind of anything - except of edible! 🤭 I made the cherry sauce this year! I picked the cherries in dad's garden this summer - how wonderfully Christmassy!
Santa Lucia is, of course, originally Italian, but we got it from Swedenht . During the war many Danes were refugees in Sweden, and they brought the tradition back here in 1945.
One of my very best friends made me an Advent calendar for me this year - with a present for every days of December until Christmas! I have made a lot of these for others, but never had one for myself! I send a little montage every day as thanks and to make it even more of a celebration - it has been awesome in this very together-apart year! 🥰 As a child I would get a small present on Advent Sundays. The one I remember the best was the one, where my dad forgot about it. I had an orange - it was very hard for me to hide my disappointment! 🙈😄
Hej Kelly I remember from when I was in school about 3 years ago. The hole school 0-9 class would go to the biograf and see a children movie. Even in high school we saw more adult movies. We would have pakkeleg before going to the biograf.
So lovely 🤶🎅 you forgot the kalenderlys you burn every dag at break first, and adventskransen where you burn candles 4 sundays before the 24th of December 💕
You are right! :) I talk about those in the blog post though. You should check that out. I usually leave something out of the videos that you can often find on the blog! :)
Hey Kelly, Thanks for the post. Growing up on Long Island, my parents made sure we had pretty much all the Danish traditions instilled in us (my older sister and I). My mom wasn't much of a baker, but would give it a go. Our maternal grandparents would always send over the 24 day calender - 1 for each of us. Mom would buy the small gifts for us which we got each morning - they were in pouches on a long Christmassy type of stocking. We had of course the advent candles which we used as (yet another) countdown to the 24th. Mom would make the confectionary with marcipan and nougat which grandma had sent along with a huge red Danish salami, and of course all our presents. When we moved back to Denmark, I was then introduced to the juleklippedag and the Lucia procession in school. I was in 7th grade, so didn't get to do many of the things you have described. Suggestion.... When pronouncing "pebernødder", the "nødder" part is fine, but try saying ]pew'ah[ with a bit of emphasis on the second syllable. The "pew" part should not be pronounced "pue"... I'll be sharing your post with my girlfriend...she enjoys hearing about our traditions from me, but also your impressions. 🎄🎁🎀☃️🇩🇰 Glædelig Jul!🇩🇰☃️🎀🎁🎄
I personally take it one step further with the candy calendars. Every and all wrapped and individual wrapped candy I get and/or buy during December, I don’t eat. I save it in a box until the Christmas Eve the 24th, where I also share it with the rest of the family. It usually takes until February, sometimes March, to get through it all, and it’s mainly calendar candy, and almost no side-bought candy.
In the part of Jutland, where I grew up (far west, near Ringkøbing), we didn't associate æbleskiver with Christmas, because those were something we had on sundays all year round. We had a big baking day, where we made pebernødder, vanillekranse, kagemænd and some round ones, that I don't remember the name of (because I didn't really like them). Brunekager was very hard to get right, so my mum bought those at the bakery. Not any bakery, mind you, there was a baker in Ringkøbing who was famous for his brunekager, so that was where we bought them. In my school we didn't go to church, religion was considered a private matter, instead families went to church together. For most people this was the only time every year they went to church, and it was not of religious reasons, very few people were religious in my little town, and those who were, were from Indre Mission, and people tended to avoid those zealots. The churchgoing was purely traditional. I personally found it boring, so I convinced my family to not going to church, which was easy, because they found it boring too, especially my father. I am pretty sure they did it for my sake, and if I didn't like it, it really had no point. Did you mention the countdown called "advent"? The last four sundays before Christmas we lit a candle on something called an "adventskrans" , one candle on the first sunday, two on the second, etc. Also we had "kalenderlys" where every morning in december a candle was lit and allowed to burn 1/24th of it's full length.
Hallo, Kelly. Your videos are great! We are actually planning to move to Denmark and we find your channel very useful and motivating! :-) I can't find the video with the Danish Christmas songs. Are you planning to upload it soon? (If it is already there, sorry, my mistake.) All the best! :-)
I have a video with a Danish Christmas song. It has a tree on the front and it says something about dancing around the tree. I might do another video at some point, but not now! :)
I've been to church so many times with my kids at work, I work in preschool. We used to go every year. The minister would tell the story of Jesus' birth and we'd sing a couple of Christmas songs/psalms. Afterwards we'd eat in a sideroom and the minister would come hang out with us and answer questions from the kids while we ate. When we were leaving we'd get a brunkage (Christmas cookie). We also had (pre-covid) grandma/grandpa klippe klistre dag (cutting gluing day) where we'd make Christmas decorations and ornaments for the preschools Christmas tree. Everything named and the last day before Christmas holidays they'd take all their ornaments and the Christmas presents they'd made during December home.
@Max Edelstahl the funny thing is, Denmark isn't really a religious country. We love our traditions though and the church is a part of that. A lot of people only ever go to church at Christmas (and if they're getting married, attending a wedding or a baptism).
Pakkeleg is a game most Danes play during Christmas time, children as well as adults. Rules: Each player brings a small gift and all gifts are placed in the middle of the table. 1st round: Players take turns in rolling the dice and when you roll a 6, you choose a gift until all gifts have been taken.
I love reading about Danish traditions. My grandfather was born in the US, but his older siblings were born in Denmark. My grandpa would speak Danish and never tell us what he was saying! He blamed our sweet tooth, saying, "The Danes love their sweets."
I recognize almost all of them, except for school children going to church. Never experienced that or heard of that where I grew up, so maybe it's a regional thing? Other than that, spot on!
I am an atheist and helped start a free school some years ago. To me, there was no doubt, that the kids had to go to a church service before christmas - so this became a tradition.
@Max Edelstahl No max - you are not. If they do not know the bible, the will be culturally blind. (I grew up in a communist household and went to Latin America to live when I was 19. It soon became obvious to me, that my lack of knowledge of those stories made me lose a lot of cultural references in books and music. You cannot understand Marquez, Llosa or Amado - or even Shakira - without knowing the Bible). I still tell my kids that it is just stories, though.
@Max Edelstahl Ahem - actually I read the old Norse mythology to all my kids. Those tales are, in my humble opinion, some of the best ever written. I remember, that when I was little, my parents would do the same to me. When he was app. three, my oldest son would inisist on hearing the story of Thors hunt for the Midgaard serpent - every night, for half a year. It dawned on me, if a story has survived some 1000-1500 years, it must be good. Personally I also like the attitude to nature in the old myths. Nature is not your enemy and the earth is not something the Gods gave you to rape. But the truly funny thing was, that I married a foreigner, from a deeply catholic family.. The maternal granddads jaws dropped, when they found out that their half-viking grandchildren actually talked about Gods, that were supposed to have been forgotten long ago.
@@mochtegerndane7097 Does your norse god teaches forgiveness, not to hate your enemies but love them, does it teaches salvation, to not kill, not steal, not commit adultery etc?
GBU I like them dearly... Until death us do part They. are truely in love keep it up Mary and Frederick remember I always pray for you as prayer moves the hand of God Luv you and ur family in Denmark and Australia......,, 🙏💋😔
Another kind of calendar for Christmas is the one with little gifts - watch this one (designe and made by the Queen for all 8 grandchildren 😊🎄) pin.it/5Dkvfeh
Danish children from 0 will believe to 4th grade will use it as an opportunity to make it Christmas gifts for parents and grandparents instead of buying a gift can remember I was told at the time that what you made as a child has more meaning than if I bought a gift I can even remember from when I was a child my parents still have some of what I did back then hanging on their
To me Saint Lucia is not at all a religious thing. It’s a tradition for children. Unlike the singing at church thing, everyone would participate in st Lucia, including my Muslim classmates.
They might be a integrated muslims, most muslims are very strict to not do anything about Christianity. Yes, St. Lucia is a Christian saint. It's time for you know the Truth that Jesus Christ is Lord and saviour.
Jeg har bagt æbleskiver for mine børnebørn når de havde international day i deres skole her i USA.🇩🇰
Æbleskiver just are delicious! 🥰
im 28 and christmas is still my absolutly favorite time of year
I'm in my 50' and LOVE CHRISTMAS 🌹
I am 55 and it still is. It just remind of when i grew having nothing, my parents could not afford gifts.
Christmas dinner was a little upgrade from our usual daily meals, very simple.
But on Christmas we would have hommade cake and a bottle of soda , each of us will get one.
But that was a very memorable for me, that is why every Christmas reminds me of our have-nots years.
We can afford now, but it was different when your parents are still around.
The best thing about christmas is the TV christmas calender, and my favorite is Pyrus, i watch all 4 of them every year
I really enjoy watching your videos. My great grandparents came over to the USA “on the boat”. I love to learn abt life in Denmark. It wld have been great to see pictures of the cookies made for Christmas.
It brings back memories. I remember well the St. Lucia procession at the Danish Lutheran Church. Also memories of the big smorgasbord during Christmas Day. Eating risalamande, and whoever found the whole almond would win a prize. :)
I went to school in 60s. We didn't have "juleklippedag" and we did not go to church with the school. On the last day of school everybody met in the big hall and we sang Christmas hymns. The pupils from the upper grade (10) had made presents for the first graders (the youngest in those days). Also only the girls participated in the Lucia parade, with a girl normally from 8th grade as Lucia herself, who wore a crown of lit candles on her head, while the other just carried a candle in their hands. The boys were dressed in rather strange costumes with pointed hats and carrying short poles with a star on top, thus celebrating St. Steph3e though 13 days ahead of St. Stephen's Day.
Pretty spot on, one thing I would mention is the traditional calendar candle with the numbers from 1 through 24 going down the candle, and you burn the current date every day.
Perhaps it in the blogpost you mentioned, but definitely something almost everyone has here. Come to think of it I'm not sure it is a Danish thing, but haven't seen it in American movies anyway.
My grandmother sewed bags from old wrapping paper for Julekalender. My favorite thing too, was the "almond in the rice pudding" to see who gets the chocolate Santa
We are also so full that the prize will be kind of anything - except of edible! 🤭 I made the cherry sauce this year! I picked the cherries in dad's garden this summer - how wonderfully Christmassy!
In my family we always eat rissengrød on the 23th so we can use the leftovers to make risalamande
Det samme her!🎄😊😘🎅🏻
How clever! Tip stolen! 😄 Glædelig jul!
Santa Lucia is, of course, originally Italian, but we got it from Swedenht . During the war many Danes were refugees in Sweden, and they brought the tradition back here in 1945.
One of my very best friends made me an Advent calendar for me this year - with a present for every days of December until Christmas!
I have made a lot of these for others, but never had one for myself! I send a little montage every day as thanks and to make it even more of a celebration - it has been awesome in this very together-apart year! 🥰 As a child I would get a small present on Advent Sundays. The one I remember the best was the one, where my dad forgot about it. I had an orange - it was very hard for me to hide my disappointment! 🙈😄
Hej Kelly
I remember from when I was in school about 3 years ago. The hole school 0-9 class would go to the biograf and see a children movie. Even in high school we saw more adult movies.
We would have pakkeleg before going to the biograf.
So lovely 🤶🎅 you forgot the kalenderlys you burn every dag at break first, and adventskransen where you burn candles 4 sundays before the 24th of December 💕
You are right! :) I talk about those in the blog post though. You should check that out. I usually leave something out of the videos that you can often find on the blog! :)
Hey Kelly,
Thanks for the post. Growing up on Long Island, my parents made sure we had pretty much all the Danish traditions instilled in us (my older sister and I). My mom wasn't much of a baker, but would give it a go. Our maternal grandparents would always send over the 24 day calender - 1 for each of us. Mom would buy the small gifts for us which we got each morning - they were in pouches on a long Christmassy type of stocking. We had of course the advent candles which we used as (yet another) countdown to the 24th. Mom would make the confectionary with marcipan and nougat which grandma had sent along with a huge red Danish salami, and of course all our presents.
When we moved back to Denmark, I was then introduced to the juleklippedag and the Lucia procession in school. I was in 7th grade, so didn't get to do many of the things you have described.
Suggestion.... When pronouncing "pebernødder", the "nødder" part is fine, but try saying ]pew'ah[ with a bit of emphasis on the second syllable. The "pew" part should not be pronounced "pue"...
I'll be sharing your post with my girlfriend...she enjoys hearing about our traditions from me, but also your impressions.
🎄🎁🎀☃️🇩🇰 Glædelig Jul!🇩🇰☃️🎀🎁🎄
I personally take it one step further with the candy calendars. Every and all wrapped and individual wrapped candy I get and/or buy during December, I don’t eat. I save it in a box until the Christmas Eve the 24th, where I also share it with the rest of the family.
It usually takes until February, sometimes March, to get through it all, and it’s mainly calendar candy, and almost no side-bought candy.
Wow, what a patience you have.
In the part of Jutland, where I grew up (far west, near Ringkøbing), we didn't associate æbleskiver with Christmas, because those were something we had on sundays all year round. We had a big baking day, where we made pebernødder, vanillekranse, kagemænd and some round ones, that I don't remember the name of (because I didn't really like them). Brunekager was very hard to get right, so my mum bought those at the bakery. Not any bakery, mind you, there was a baker in Ringkøbing who was famous for his brunekager, so that was where we bought them. In my school we didn't go to church, religion was considered a private matter, instead families went to church together. For most people this was the only time every year they went to church, and it was not of religious reasons, very few people were religious in my little town, and those who were, were from Indre Mission, and people tended to avoid those zealots. The churchgoing was purely traditional. I personally found it boring, so I convinced my family to not going to church, which was easy, because they found it boring too, especially my father. I am pretty sure they did it for my sake, and if I didn't like it, it really had no point. Did you mention the countdown called "advent"? The last four sundays before Christmas we lit a candle on something called an "adventskrans" , one candle on the first sunday, two on the second, etc. Also we had "kalenderlys" where every morning in december a candle was lit and allowed to burn 1/24th of it's full length.
Aebleskiver year round??? Yum!!
Hallo, Kelly. Your videos are great! We are actually planning to move to Denmark and we find your channel very useful and motivating! :-) I can't find the video with the Danish Christmas songs. Are you planning to upload it soon? (If it is already there, sorry, my mistake.) All the best! :-)
I have a video with a Danish Christmas song. It has a tree on the front and it says something about dancing around the tree. I might do another video at some point, but not now! :)
@@MyNewDanishLife Great! Thanks! :-)
In Aalborg the busses are decorated by kindergartens. A kindergarten “adopt” a bus and make decorations for it
I love that!
i gotta say. as a danish kid, this is really accurate
nice
I never went to church with my school despite one being right across the road from my school.
Æbelskiver with sugar and jam! I still make them!
I've been to church so many times with my kids at work, I work in preschool. We used to go every year. The minister would tell the story of Jesus' birth and we'd sing a couple of Christmas songs/psalms. Afterwards we'd eat in a sideroom and the minister would come hang out with us and answer questions from the kids while we ate. When we were leaving we'd get a brunkage (Christmas cookie).
We also had (pre-covid) grandma/grandpa klippe klistre dag (cutting gluing day) where we'd make Christmas decorations and ornaments for the preschools Christmas tree. Everything named and the last day before Christmas holidays they'd take all their ornaments and the Christmas presents they'd made during December home.
@Max Edelstahl the funny thing is, Denmark isn't really a religious country. We love our traditions though and the church is a part of that. A lot of people only ever go to church at Christmas (and if they're getting married, attending a wedding or a baptism).
@Max Edelstahl that's probably true.
No pakkeleg? Or have you talked about that before?
@Max Edelstahl We had pakkeleg almost every year in school. It was usually held on that day we would go to church. Maybe it was just my school though.
@Max Edelstahl No, we also play it in our family.
Pakkeleg is a game most Danes play during Christmas time, children as well as adults. Rules: Each player brings a small gift and all gifts are placed in the middle of the table. 1st round: Players take turns in rolling the dice and when you roll a 6, you choose a gift until all gifts have been taken.
I love reading about Danish traditions. My grandfather was born in the US, but his older siblings were born in Denmark. My grandpa would speak Danish and never tell us what he was saying! He blamed our sweet tooth, saying, "The Danes love their sweets."
They sure do! ;)
I recognize almost all of them, except for school children going to church. Never experienced that or heard of that where I grew up, so maybe it's a regional thing? Other than that, spot on!
I am an atheist and helped start a free school some years ago. To me, there was no doubt, that the kids had to go to a church service before christmas - so this became a tradition.
@Max Edelstahl No max - you are not. If they do not know the bible, the will be culturally blind. (I grew up in a communist household and went to Latin America to live when I was 19. It soon became obvious to me, that my lack of knowledge of those stories made me lose a lot of cultural references in books and music. You cannot understand Marquez, Llosa or Amado - or even Shakira - without knowing the Bible). I still tell my kids that it is just stories, though.
My kids go to Church last day of School before Christmas - and it’s a great tradition!💚🎄❣️
@Max Edelstahl Ahem - actually I read the old Norse mythology to all my kids. Those tales are, in my humble opinion, some of the best ever written. I remember, that when I was little, my parents would do the same to me. When he was app. three, my oldest son would inisist on hearing the story of Thors hunt for the Midgaard serpent - every night, for half a year. It dawned on me, if a story has survived some 1000-1500 years, it must be good.
Personally I also like the attitude to nature in the old myths. Nature is not your enemy and the earth is not something the Gods gave you to rape. But the truly funny thing was, that I married a foreigner, from a deeply catholic family.. The maternal granddads jaws dropped, when they found out that their half-viking grandchildren actually talked about Gods, that were supposed to have been forgotten long ago.
@@mochtegerndane7097 Does your norse god teaches forgiveness, not to hate your enemies but love them, does it teaches salvation, to not kill, not steal, not commit adultery etc?
Der er også pakkeleg og sætte risengrød til nissen.
Du er rigtigt. Snart kommer en video om risengrød! ;)
GBU I like them dearly... Until death us do part They. are truely in love keep it up Mary and Frederick remember I always pray for you as prayer moves the hand of God Luv you and ur family in Denmark and Australia......,, 🙏💋😔
Another kind of calendar for Christmas is the one with little gifts - watch this one (designe and made by the Queen for all 8 grandchildren 😊🎄) pin.it/5Dkvfeh
Santa Lucia is Swedish!
Danish children from 0 will believe to 4th grade will use it as an opportunity to make it Christmas gifts for parents and grandparents instead of buying a gift can remember I was told at the time that what you made as a child has more meaning than if I bought a gift I can even remember from when I was a child my parents still have some of what I did back then hanging on their
Bare vent til at hun skal forklare mælle dag
Denmark isn’t lutheran but protestant, which is much more laidback!
Lutheran is protestant.
To me Saint Lucia is not at all a religious thing. It’s a tradition for children. Unlike the singing at church thing, everyone would participate in st Lucia, including my Muslim classmates.
They might be a integrated muslims, most muslims are very strict to not do anything about Christianity.
Yes, St. Lucia is a Christian saint.
It's time for you know the Truth that Jesus Christ is Lord and saviour.
11 ways should be covered in 11 minutes.
Way too wordy, rambling endlessly is BORING.
Also, WHY is she screaming? Screaming is IRRITATING.
Thanks for the feedback. I am glad to have your watch minutes and comment. All helps my analytics!
11 ways to rehabilitate your insane time-sensitivity, #1 to find another video to watch.