So, what is Christmas in Denmark like? Is it different from here? That was the question I’ve been asked ten thousand times the last week. How do you explain that it is kind of the same, but then again not really. First of all Christmas is never the same when you’re not with your family. I don’t want to complain or anything like that, I made the decision of celebrating Christmas over here, but being with your family is just such a big part of this holiday.

 

Luckily I had the fortune of being with the Finan family who has graciously taken me in and treated me as a part of their tribe. So I didn’t feel all alone. THANKFULLY. While trying to explain all the things we do on Christmas I get around going to church decorating the tree, Christmas-parties at the office, and so on, but then I discretely mention that before opening any presents we dance around the Christmas-tree. Now that was a totally normal thing for me right until someone asked me why?!! I couldn’t answer, because I don’t know why. It is totally unnecessary and thinking about it, it also must look really stupid!!!

 

I remember that Christmas when my sister and I decided to boycott the actual dancing around the tree. I guess neither of us were too smart, cause my parents just said that no dancing meant no presents. HA, like Santa hadn’t already been there and left a bunch of presents!! My mother just replied with the logical reasoning that if we weren’t going to dance it would be naughty of us, and Santa wouldn’t have given the presents if we weren’t nice. I guess neither of us had any good arguments to counter that!! So we danced, and we sang, and we got all our presents.

 

The Finan’s are Catholic so I went to mass on Christmas, which was kind of the same as regular church but still different, I felt a little weird, but not too much. I am telling you: Their communion is efficient… 10 minutes and 200 people had received the bread and blood of Jesus. That would have lasted at least an hour at my church!! Which is basically why we don’t do communion on Christmas. After mass we went back to the house for Christmas dinner. There were so much food and so many different kinds of snacks I was completely full for two days afterwards.