Grandma Ginny said it best!

Except for two years of my life, I never lived in the same state as my grandparents – or the rest of my extended family, for that matter. Incredibly, I am very close to my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. in part, no doubt, to my family’s heroic efforts to keep us together. I grew up “summering” in Florida where I would play with my cousins at the beach and in their pools. My extended family would also caravan to wherever we lived each summer… and fill our home with bodies, laughter, and fun. My grandparents even travel internationally to see me – both England and Denmark! Borders mean nothing to this family!

That said, we did miss a few major events. I wasn’t able to attend my great-grandparents' funerals and there were lots of missed birthday parties and Easter Egg Hunts. As sad as we were to miss these events, my grandmother always said that what’s important is that we want to be together… even if we can’t be. And she is right. Just knowing that we all want to be together is sometimes enough to make not being together tolerable.

I am sharing this with you because we decided to not return home for Christmas. This is a big deal for us. Even after we married, we managed to construct a cross-country Christmas tour to make sure we had quality time with each side of our families. We decided to stay in Copenhagen, in part, because it was very expensive to return home. And, we also wanted to experience a “Danish” Christmas, especially because the Danes do Christmas BIG TIME (example: my office “Christmas Lunch” was 10 hours long – see previous post).

While I am sad we aren’t going home, I’ve decided to make the most of it and have a “Danish” Christmas. The Danes really embrace tradition and Christmas is really important. So… we are doing Christmas in Copenhagen this year, and we are going to love it. Stay tuned for lots of pictures and info on traditions, recipes, and our report on our Christmas goose. Yes, goose. Christmas Eve dinner just wouldn’t be proper without a goose… and I’m gonna try it (don’t worry, I am also cooking a ham in case the goose decides to not to cooperate!).

Here are some pictures we took around Copenhagen on our way home from church. The pictures fail to capture the true sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas in Copenhagen, but they will give you a hint of the excitement that fills the air!

God Jule!

Street decorations on Stroget. The Danes use hearts for Christmas decorations.

The sidewalks are crowded with flower vendors selling Christmas flowers -- tulips are just in!

The Royal Copenhagen and George Jensen stores on Stroget were beautifully decorated inside and out!


No one can escape the decorating in Copenhagen!

Many of the parks in the city are transformed into ice skating rinks in the winter. This is Kongen's Nytorv (King's Square). Rochelle and Ronnie... guess what we are doing when you visit!



The Christmas Market at Nyhavn.



Joel on the bridge behind the Nyhavn Christmas Market. Notice the lights on the back of the stalls!