Christmas in Denmark
Time for Family and Friends at Christmas
As we continue our trend of adding travel posts a year after they actually occurred, we have made it to Christmas of 2019 which we spent in Assentoft, Hald Ege, Hjortshøj, Studstrup, Lemvig, and Alslev with family and friends in Denmark.
It warms our hearts to look back on the magic of Christmas with hugs, being together, swapping stories, great food, wine, cookies, and plenty of treats.
Christmas Eve Dinner and the candle game begins. The rules are straightforward. The last candle still burning wins. How you get there is up to you :)
Christmas Eve in Assentoft
Karen and Kristian hosted Christmas Eve and we joined a full house with Simon’s family and grandparents, Åse and Bent, Simon’s brothers, Jeppe and Andreas, Luka the dog, Chilli the cat, and of course Emma.
We spent a few days at Karen and Kristian’s in preparation and after Christmas and couldn’t have felt more welcome.
We cross our fingers that we get to see you all again in 2021.
A Quick Stop in Hald Ege
On the 25th we made a quick visit to Hald Ege near Viborg where we caught up with Ivan, Pia, Malene, Gritt, and Jeppe. It’s amazing how much you can do once you put your mind to it. Great to see everyone again and we must plan for a longer visit next time. And sorry, I didn’t take any photos.
Driving home for Christmas, Danish version. Near Hanne and Jesper’s place in Hjortshøj.
24 Hours With Hanne and Jesper
Christmas time has a way of getting too busy and although our schedule was rushed we slotted in twenty-four hours with our dear friends, Hanne, Jesper, and Emma G.
As so many times before we occupied “our room” on the top floor with the slanted ceilings and familiar bookcases. Jesper played a few tunes on the grand piano and we cozied up in the living room and caught up on everything important. It always feels like home when staying with Hanne and Jesper.
Morten, Diana, Jesper, and Hanne :)
Christmas Day With The Byskovs in Studstrup
My uncle Oluf and aunt Birthe hosted a family Christmas lunch and my cousins Uffe and Mette with their families joined the fun. Fourteen of us in total.
A traditional Danish Christmas lunch includes an endless line of small dishes, rye bread, at least two types of herring, paté, meatballs (frikadeller), cold cuts meat smorgasbord, fried sole fillets, cheese, and more.
And we can’t forget to mention Carlsberg or Tuborg beer, Aalborg schnaps, and wine. There is usually more food served than we normally would eat in a week’s time.
Christmas lunch with my aunt Birthe, Uncle Oluf, and cousin Uffe in Denmark
Lunch, as you can imagine, was fantastic and it was great to hang out with everyone again. After filling our stomachs to the breaking point we agreed on a short walk and some fresh air.
We took a stroll through the neighborhood and along Studstrup Beach Park. After the walk, we gathered for dessert and games with all the kids. We played the secret Santa Dice gift game where you roll a die in a competition to see who gets more gifts.
Uffe and Oluf in Studstrup, Denmark
Secret Santa Dice Game - Rules
Everyone brings a present and the presents are placed in the middle of the table
Take a turn rolling the die. If you roll “6”, you can pick a present from the pile and place it in front of you. Keep going until you run out of presents.
During this first round note the following rules:
If you roll “3”, take a present but give it to someone else
If you roll “1”, take a present and give it to the person on your left
Playing the secret Santa Dice Game. See the rules above and below this photo :)
When all the presents are placed, make up a time limit, 10-15 minutes is usually good depending on the number of players
During the second round:
If you roll “3”, steal a present from another contender and give it to a third person
If you roll “1”, steal a present from another person and give it to the person on your leftWhen the time is up, if you have a present or presents, you may open them. After-game trading is allowed :)
Diana and Mette
A Brief Stop in Lemvig
Emma and Simon joined us in our tour de Jylland and we jumped in the car on December 27th and headed for my hometown, Lemvig for a quick visit with Ann and Mogens. On route, we stopped for some fresh air and photos at an old abandoned sawmill as Simon was curious to see it.
We pretended we didn’t see the “no trespassing” sign and had a few nerve-wracking moments when the owner showed up with a shotgun on a quad.
We quickly told him, we are from Canada and took an interest in sawmills, which is sort of true but also a bit far-fetched. He had relatives in Lemvig and we ended up having a friendly chat.
Simon at the Abandoned sawmill somewhere in the middle of Jylland.
We had spent Christmas Eve with Ann and Mogens three years earlier and we had a lot of catching up to do. We did so over a wonderful lunch but then it was already time to move on.
It was the quickest-ever visit in Lemvig as we headed out of town only a few hours after we arrived and set the GPS for our friends Søren and Mette’s old farmhouse in Alslev in the southern part of Denmark.
We had just enough time in Lemvig to stop and take in the view at the Harbor for a few moments.
Alslev Visit
It is not easy to juggle Christmas week schedules but we made it work again and so did Søren and Mette as we would have been disappointed if we didn’t get to see them and the girls in Alslev.
In total, I think we stayed in Alslev three or four times during our 50 months of travel :) We stayed a couple of nights and surely it felt like we were home again spoiled with stimulating conversation, great food, and great company.
Sofie, Diana, Søren, Mette, Emma, and Simon at Blåvandshuk.
Blåvandshuk
More fresh air was needed over the holidays so we made a trip to the Westcoast at Blåvandshuk for an invigorating walk on the beach. Apologies, as I gave my camera a bit of rest during our visit and hence only have photos from our walk.
Søren and Mette have a cozy living/TV/music room on the top floor of their house with a piano and an old stereo with a turntable.
Søren is an avid collector of LP albums so we decided a listening session was in order. It was wonderful to revisit old songs, study the album art with lyrics, and sing along with a few familiar tunes.
Byskov families gathered at Blåvandshuk
Christmas 2020
As I type this a couple of days before Christmas our living room is festively decorated with lights, candles, an advent calendar, and old familiar decorations on walls, window sills, ledges, and doors. Mik and Courtney joined us last week to sample a successful batch of homemade mulled wine and decorate the tree.
Our Instagram feeds have been persuasive with ads for Captain Morgan, Baileys, and other Christmas liquors and we have succumbed to the temptation and are happy to report we are well-stocked for the holidays.
The Christmas lights at Lost Lagoon, Stanley Park, Vancouver
We are looking forward to the 24th when Mik and Courtney will be back with us for Christmas Eve. Emma! We will miss you and Simon like crazy but send many virtual hugs (and maybe a present or two).
To our family, our friends, and everyone who stops by our blog from time to time, we wish you all a Merry Christmas!
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The photos in this article are made with a Fujifilm X-Pro2. Lenses: XF 14mm f/2.8 R - XF 23mm f/1.4 R - XF 35mm f/1.4 R (links to my camera and lens reviews). Editing was done in Capture One Express and I used Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos.
