Strange little nisser

Here is a funny Danish Christmas tradition: the Nisser (sort of little elf): small creature living in barns or attics. If you do not offer him a big bowl of rice pudding at Christmas, it will annoy the whole family for the following year, turning beer into milk or other small disasters ...
You can buy them in many different forms and then arrange them around the house in December along with the Christmas tree, julehjerter, ... Some hate them, others find them cute. For children, the challenge is to place them in the most funny and unexpected locations. In most houses, you still discover "kravlenisser" in wacky places long after Christmas. When this happens, the children are usually overjoyed with their victory.



Another star of Christmas is the little piggy ....

A store that I really liked in the past years ... Royal Copenhaguen (I really need to go back there this year)

Christmas specialties at Tivoli

Every year, you can enjoy the an annual Christmas market in Tivoli. Over the years, this has proven to be quite successful.


In addition to arts and crafts displays, you can also find many "not so usual" Christmas treats. For example, waffle on a stick (for those who miss an ice-cream) or a "Klejner" kind of seasonal donut. You can also try æbleskiver (litterally apple slice, but those donuts actually don't have a single piece of apple in them), traditionnaly you would enjoy them by three with icing sugar and strawberry jam.





To survive trough all this (and the cold), a good mulled wine (gløgg) will do. If the cold is too intense for you, you can "extend" the gløgg (or any hot drink, even an innocent hot chocolate!) with more or less alcohol (usually you have the choice between 2, 4 or 6 cl of added spirit)... Another drink to try: the "hot apple wine," or æblegløgg. Apple juice, white wine, apple, ginger, etc. ... Delicious! I really need to find the recipe!

Christmas decoration part 2

Here are a few more shots of really pretty Christmas decorations in Copenhagen departement stores.

The Christmas trio

According to you, what is the mandatory Danish Christmas trio, especially suited for the Julefrokost (Christmas lunch)?


Herring, Christmas beer and aquavit ... The supermarket makes things even easier for you by placing these three products in one place. You never know, just in case you would forget one!

Winter walk part 3

We continue on Strøget to reach Royal Copenhagen, the famous china store, where you can admire the tradition of the Christmas tables. Every year, they dress amazing Christmas table with their products. Last year, it was some Danish noble families who had the privilege to decorate the tables. It's more "classy" but less artistic than the year before that (but we'll come back to that) ...

We now go into Illum Bolighus (without even going outside on the street again thanks to the inside passage) where this time, it is chairs that are used for Christmas decoration ...

Winter walk continues...

Next, we continue straight to Magasin, one of the main department store of Copenhagen, to admire the nice windows displays changing every year. Bets are open on what will be the theme this year... Last year it was the little wooden soldier, dressed by the locals designers.

The walk continues into Strøget (the very crowded main pedestrian street of Copenhagen), up to Illum (the second main department store of Copenhagen), which has used a family of reindeer plush and traditional gold stars for decoration.

Between the two deparment stores, you can make a quick stop in Pistolstræde, a small passage on the right of Strøget. You can see a lof of traditionnal julepynt (Christmas decorations).

You can also find in this gallery a rather interesting shop of cooking instruments...

Winter walk

Let's start a traditionnal winter walk in Copenhagen. It starts in Kongens Nytorv where the most adventurous can enjoy the ice-skating ring, while the less courageous just watch...

Unfortunately, due to the economical crisis, there is a high risk that this year again decoration spendings will be downsized. Remember the exuberant Christmas lights of 2006...

Now compare to 2007 and 2008 (they dared to reuse the same two years in a row!)

Next: Magasin du Nord