Why Christmas in Denmark Is So Special

The childhood traditions that have stayed with me for a lifetime

In 1981, when I was eight years old, my family moved to Denmark. We settled in Agerskov, a little town of about 1,000 people in the southern part of Denmark. Everything was different. The language, the food, the schools, and even the way people celebrated holidays. So many things that were familiar to Danish children were completely foreign to me. Little did I know that during the eight years I would live there, some of those unfamiliar traditions would become my most treasured childhood memories.

Of all the months of the year, December quickly became my favourite. There was something so special about Christmas in Denmark. It wasn't just one particular tradition or event. It was the anticipation, the sense of community, the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen, and the way the entire month seemed to revolve around family, friends and being together. Looking back, some of my happiest childhood memories are from those Decembers, and interestingly enough, very few of them have anything to do with the presents I received.

A Whole Community Celebrating Christmas

One of my favourite memories was gathering with everyone from our little town at the local sports hall for a Christmas celebration. This wasn't just an event for children. Families, grandparents, neighbours, and friends all came together, and it seemed as though the entire town was there! We would eat together, make Christmas crafts, play games, and enjoy being with one another. I loved making the traditional Julehjerte. There was nothing particularly fancy about them, but I remember how much fun we had making them.

Eventually, we would all gather around the Christmas tree, join hands, and dance around it while singing traditional Danish Christmas carols. Young children, parents, and grandparents would all take part. Nobody was too old to join in, and there was something wonderful about seeing so many generations celebrating together. One of my favourite Christmas carols was Et barn er født i Bethlehem (A Child Is Born in Bethlehem). I loved singing it then, and I still love it today.

There is something about hearing those familiar Danish

words that takes me straight back to my childhood. Even after all these years, the song reminds me of the true reason we celebrate Christmas—the birth of Jesus. When I think about those gatherings now, what strikes me is how simple they were. We didn't need elaborate entertainment or expensive activities. We had food, crafts, music, games, and each other, and somehow, that was more than enough.

Bringing the Outdoors Into Christmas

Another tradition I loved was going into the woods to gather greenery and other natural treasures for Christmas decorations. We would bundle up against the cold and head outside, looking for things we could use to decorate our home. It was always cold and windy, but there was something exciting about searching through the woods and imagining what we could create with what we found.

Denmark has a wonderful tradition of decorating with natural materials. Evergreen branches, pinecones, moss, and candles bring warmth and simplicity to homes during the darkest months of the year. I loved that so much of what we used didn't come from a shop. We could make something beautiful from things we had gathered ourselves. To be honest, we never thought to buy decorations. We would always make them.

As a child, I probably didn't appreciate how meaningful that was. I just knew that I loved being outside, collecting things, and then coming home to make Christmas decorations. Today, I think there is something worth remembering about that tradition. Our children don't always need another expensive Christmas activity. Sometimes a walk in the woods, a few pinecones, and an afternoon spent making decorations together can create memories that last for decades.

The Smells and Sounds of December

Of course, Christmas in Denmark wouldn't be Christmas without baking! We would make havregrynskugler, little chocolate oatmeal balls rolled in coconut, vaniljekranse, delicate vanilla butter cookies shaped into wreaths, klejner, twisted pastries that are fried, and pebernødder, those wonderful little spiced Christmas cookies that were my all-time favourite. I can still remember the smells coming from the kitchen and the excitement of making treats that we only enjoyed at Christmas.

We played games, baked together, made decorations, and sang Christmas songs. There was an excitement that seemed to build throughout December. Christmas wasn't simply one day on the calendar. It was an entire season of traditions, many of which we repeated year after year. I think that repetition is part of what makes traditions so special. As children, we look forward to doing the same things again. We know what is coming, and the anticipation becomes part of the joy.

Learning to Love Traditions That Were Once Foreign

When we first moved to Denmark in 1981, these customs were completely unfamiliar to me. I hadn't grown up dancing around a Christmas tree or celebrating Christmas in quite the same way. I had to learn the songs, understand the traditions, and discover why they were so important to the Danish people. But somewhere along the way, those unfamiliar traditions became my own.

What I once thought was strange became something I eagerly anticipated. I began to understand that Christmas in Denmark wasn't just about decorations, food, or presents. It was about the time people made for one another. There was a real sense of belonging. Whether we were gathered in the sports hall, singing around the Christmas tree, or sitting at home playing games, we were doing things together.

And isn't that what so many of us want for our families at Christmas? We want our children to feel loved, to know they belong, and to have memories they will treasure long after they have grown up and left home.

Bringing Those Memories Into My Own Family

Years later, when I became a mother, I wanted my two girls to experience some of the same Christmas traditions I had grown to love in Denmark. I wanted them to know the joy of making decorations, baking Christmas treats, enjoying family traditions, and looking forward to the little things that make December so special. But I also wanted something more. I wanted my girls to understand that Christmas wasn't just about what they would receive. I wanted them to experience the joy of giving, of noticing someone who might need encouragement, and of doing something kind without expecting anything in return.

That desire, combined with my childhood memories of Denmark, eventually became the inspiration for The Blessing Nisser. I took the Danish tradition of the nisser, those mischievous little Christmas characters who are such a familiar part of Danish Christmas celebrations, and gave them a different purpose. Instead of creating mischief, my Blessing Nisser would encourage children to serve others.

Through Charlotte's story and the 25 Acts of Kindness cards, families can enjoy ways to bless the people around them. It might be baking cookies for a neighbour, giving someone a hug, visiting someone who is lonely, or doing something thoughtful for a person who least expects it. My hope has always been that children will discover that giving can bring just as much joy, if not more, than receiving.

What Will Our Children Remember?

When I look back on my childhood Christmases in Denmark, I don't remember many of the gifts I received. I remember the people, the songs, the laughter, the games, the smell of baking, the paper chains, and walking through the woods gathering greenery. I remember standing in the sports hall surrounded by our little community, singing Et barn er født i Bethlehem as we danced around the Christmas tree. Those are the memories that have stayed with me for more than forty years, and I often wonder what our own children and grandchildren will remember about Christmas.

Will they remember how many presents were under the tree, or will they remember the afternoons spent baking together, the laughter around the dinner table, the Christmas carols, and the times they reached out to help someone else? Now that I am a grandmother myself, I find myself thinking about this even more. As parents and grandparents, I believe we need to be intentional about the memories we create and, perhaps more importantly, the lessons we teach. December can become so busy with shopping, parties, school activities, and everything else that comes with Christmas that before we know it, Christmas Day has come and gone. Have we been so busy making Christmas special that we've missed opportunities to teach our children what really matters?

One of those things, I believe, is teaching our children how and why we serve others. It doesn't always come naturally to children to look beyond their own wants and needs, especially at Christmas when so much attention is placed on what they hope to receive. We need to set aside time to show them what it means to notice someone who might be lonely, a neighbour who could use some help, or a family going through a difficult time.

We also need to explain why we do these things. As Christians, we serve because Jesus first showed us what it means to love and serve others. I wanted my girls to understand that serving isn't something we do to receive praise or recognition, but because we genuinely care about the people around us.

I often ponder about the ripple effect that could happen if we were more intentional about teaching our children to serve. Imagine if just one child decided to do something kind for someone this Christmas. Perhaps they bake cookies for an elderly neighbour or make a card for someone who is lonely. That person feels remembered and loved, and perhaps they are encouraged to do something kind for someone else.

Now imagine five children doing this, or twenty children, each looking for opportunities to bless someone in their community. Think about how many people could be touched by those simple acts of kindness. It doesn't take much, and it certainly doesn't have to cost much, but I believe it could make a real difference in our communities.

That is really why I wrote The Blessing Nisser. I wanted to combine the wonderful Danish Christmas traditions I grew up with and my desire to teach my girls the importance of serving others. The story and Blessing Challenge cards were created to give families something they could actually do together throughout December. My hope was never simply that children would enjoy reading the book, but that they would begin looking for opportunities to help others, even after Christmas was over. Wouldn't it be wonderful if serving became something our children naturally thought about throughout the year?

When I moved to Denmark in 1981 as an eight-year-old girl, I had no idea how much those unfamiliar Christmas traditions would eventually mean to me. I certainly never imagined they would inspire me to write a children's Christmas book many years later. But the older I get, the more I realise that the things I remember most about Christmas weren't the expensive gifts or elaborate celebrations. They were the simple things we did together, year after year, and the people who took the time to make those moments special.

We cannot give our children every gift they might wish for, but we can give them our time, meaningful traditions, and opportunities to experience the joy of giving to others. Perhaps this Christmas, instead of spending so much time thinking about what else we need to buy, we could be a little more intentional about what we want to teach our children.

One day, they will be grown, the toys will be long forgotten, and they may have children and grandchildren of their own. What do we want them to remember, and what do we hope they will pass along to the next generation?

I hope they will remember not only how much they were loved, but also how they were taught to love and serve others. And if we can encourage even a few children to make serving others part of their lives, imagine the difference that could make in our communities for years to come.

God Jul and be a blessing!

Kirstie