Christmas City Break in Denmark!
Hans Christian Andersen called Christmas in Denmark “unforgettably magnificent” and he was right! The clever, hospitable Danes celebrate the holiday in the most joyful, heart-warming ways.

Christmas in Copenhagen is old-fashioned, not at all flashy. No doubt about it. But in Copenhagen, and throughout Denmark, simple holiday pleasures and traditions, passed from generation to generation, have never gone out of style.

Christmas Seals
The decorative stamps used to raise money for charitable causes, were invented by a Danish postmaster in 1904. A new Christmas seal design is introduced every November. One year, the Danish Christmas seals artist was Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II, who designed a sheet of music-making angels.

Calendar Candle
On December 1, Danish children begin their Christmas countdown by lighting a tall, chunky Calendar candle, marked with the numbers 1 to 24. A little is burned away each night until Christmas Eve.

Christmas Hearts
The heart is a traditional Danish symbol. Most Christmas trees, including the big tree in Copenhagen’s Town Hall Square, are decorated with red and white woven paper hearts. Strings of red and white Danish flags, known as guilanders, are also used as Christmas decorations.

Christmas Markets
From the middle of November until December 23 Danish cities and towns hold Christmas markets. Market stalls offer handicrafts, food and one-of-a-kind gift items. Look for holiday ginger cookies, fruity Christmas tea, woven straw decorations and much more. Some of the most popular markets are in Tønder, Krusmølle, Horsens, and in Copenhagen at Tivoli Gardens, Nyhavn and the “commune” of Christiania.

Christmas Tables
Visiting the Christmas Tables display at the Royal Copenhagen shop on Strøget is a tradition in Copenhagen. Every year, Denmark’s top artists and designers are invited to create inventive holiday table settings using Royal Copenhagen porcelain and Georg Jensen silver. The results are always dazzling.

Glögg and Julebryg
Glögg is the Danes’ favorite winter warmer. A steaming concoction of hot Burgundy wine, aquavit, cinnamon, cloves, raisins and slivers of almond, it’s guaranteed to provide a holiday glow! Beer lovers eagerly anticipate the annual arrival of Julebryg (Yule Brew) from the Carlsberg and Tuborg breweries. This flavorful beer is delivered to cafes and restaurants in Copenhagen by a horse-drawn wagon. The 2002 shipment arrives on November 8. Travelers who want to bring Julebryg home will find it in colorfully decorated cans at the Copenhagen Airport Duty-Free Shops.

The food
A traditional Danish Christmas meal is packed with warm comfort foods that brighten a winter’s night. On the menu are herring in dozens of varieties, boiled cod, smoked eel, homemade sausages, fragrant pork in parsley sauce and frikadeller, fried meatballs of pork and veal. And that’s just for starters! The main course might be roast duck or goose stuffed with apples and prunes, with boiled potatoes and red cabbage on the side. The traditional dessert is ris a l’amande, a delectable rice pudding fluffed with whipped cream, thickened with chopped almonds and topped with cherry sauce. Tucked inside the pudding is a single whole almond. Whoever finds the almond is assured of good luck for the coming year, and a small prize such as a plump marzipan pig.

Nisser
One bowl of rice pudding, sprinkled with butter, cinnamon and sugar, is always set aside for the nisser, the Danish Christmas gnomes. They’re quite old—almost 4,000 years!—and they can be grumpy, but if you treat them well they will work in your favor. All Danish children can recognize a nisse by his gray beard, gray clothes and bright red hat. If you can’t spot one, you just aren’t looking in the right place!