As I was just walking back home from my lab thinking about how it would be to spend Christmas all alone - (don't get me wrong! I am a very sociable person but it's just my luck that this year i am stuck here while all my friends are on vacation) inside my room watching 'Friends' and sipping tea or watching the snow and thinking for the hundredth time how beautiful it is or simply pulling over my blankets and drifting off to sleep....... my mobile rang. Mr Jensen and his wife had just invited me to spend Christmas eve with their family ! My first traditional Christmas dinner in Denmark. I was a bit apprehensive because
1. I didn't know what was the perfect gift to buy for a really sweet old danish couple who didn't want me to spend Christmas eve alone
And
2. I had no clue what to expect ... would there be a huge party- many people talking in Danish and me just looking at their faces and laughing from time to time to show that i am fitting in fine or would it be just the two of them and i would have to entertain them by talking about why we celebrate Diwali or perhaps Mr Jensen would be dressed as Santa Claus - now, that would be fun to watch !
Nevertheless, I decided to take the plunge and go ! I had big plans of baking some cookies - I had recently bought a cookie mould to encourage myself to improve my baking skills. Well, i must admit i have somehow learnt the art of procrastination in between working in the lab and writing papers much to my supervisor's annoyance, but that's another story :-). So, i never baked any cookies neither had i thought of the perfect gift nor had i bought it. The evening before, I hurried to the shopping mall which was, needless to say, uncomfortably crowded. I saw a box of six red hearts made of glass - decorative pieces for the Christmas tree and i thought ''perfect'' ! I was proud of myself at having found something so beautiful in such short notice. I was walking out of the shop and that's when i noticed the wreath with four red candles. I knew lighting the candles on the wreath before dinner is a Christmas tradition in Denmark and that would have been the perfect gift.. so much for my efforts on buying the hearts. Further away i saw Glogg, a warm spiced red wine and thought - ''oh no! this is the perfect gift...not the hearts, not the wreath but the Glogg''....I literally ran out before I could spot something else ! I made a mental promise to remind myself to wear blinders before i go shopping for a perfect gift.
I was already twenty minutes late. I rang the door bell half expecting a huge Santa Claus to welcome me, instead I saw Mr Jensen in an apron. His son and daughter who were about my age were also present and it was just the five of us for dinner. So, I didn't have to worry about staring at faces or entertaining the old couple all by myself....''okay ! so far so good....''
Traditional danish Christmas dinner was served soon and it was nothing less than a feast ! Unfortunately, i am big time veggie. I had several failed attempts at trying to explain to Mr Jensen that it was no biggie being a veggie in India and i am definitely not going to be malnutritioned by just eating vegetables. So, on Christmas eve the least i could do was to spare him the story again and just pretend to have a sick stomach which i hoped would explain why i am not eating anything but vegetables. It worked ! Thank god for small mercies !! :-). However, i looked at the dishes and couldn't stop wondering how it would be like to become a full time carnivore ! The main course included a large roasted duck (or may be goose -couldn't tell), roasted chicken, fish in white sauce and lamb meat. I was told the duck was stuffed with mashed apple. This was served with boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes, red cabbage and melon. There was also cranberry sauce. I stuffed myself with boiled potatoes and cabbage (now don't judge me, i had to prove i am not malnutritioned :-P). We talked a little bit about Mr Santa and the popular danish belief that he lives in Greenland with Mrs Claus and the elves who work in his factory which produces gifts for all the children of Denmark. Mr Jensen also told me that the Christmas seal that is placed on the post cards during the holiday season was first started by a Danish clerk in the postal department in the 1900s to raise funds for respiratory diseases that children often suffered from during those times. Denmark has a long tradition of housing samaritans or so it seems and i can vouch that Mr Jensen is one of them :-). I also came to know that Jensen's daughter, Line is a school teacher. Apparently, kids these days are very notrious but charming enough to get away with their atrocities and there is nothing much one can do about it - i always thought so too whenever i felt helpless around my manipulative little cousins ... So now it's offical and universal around the globe !
Soon the dessert was served. It was rice pudding with thick whipped cream, vanilla and diced almonds served with hot cherry sauce. Yummmm.... ! I was told that a full almond was hidden in the rice pudding and the person who gets it is the lucky finder and also gets a prize. However, the untold rule is that the lucky finder doesn't say it until everyone is tired of eating the pudding. So everyone ate and ate in the hope of finding the almond and Line turned out to be the lucky finder of the almond !
After dinner Mr Jensen showed me around the house and it was beautifully decorated with little elves and Santas everywhere. Then we all lit the candles placed on the Christmas tree and when the lights were switched off, it looked truly spectacular. If there is anything that i had seen so far which even came close to what the Christmas tree looked like, it was probably the Eiffel tower at night. Then all of us held hands and danced around the tree signing danish Christmas carols. We had little tea breaks to charge ourselves after every song. Everyone started opening the gifts while i munched on fruits, cookies and candies. I must admit that watching people open presents after presents is not all that fun especially when they are not for you. It was well past midnight and everyone had sw
itched over to Danish in their excitement and I couldn't help yawning. So i munched and munched while fighting to keep my eyes open. As if on cue, Mr Jensen thrust a nicely wrapped gift into my hands and asked me to open it. I had three guesses but i got it right in my first guess - it was a book ! Great ! Now, which one ? By now i was wide awake ! It was a perfect gift for someone who is not a Dane and something to take back home from Denmark. The complete Hans Christian Andersen Fairy tales !! Originally born in Odense in the 1800s, Hans Christian Andersen later moved to Copenhagen to start a career in acting but ended up becoming a writer. One can never outgrow reading Hans Christian Andersen's stories in a life time !! M
rs Jensen thanked me for the lovely red hearts and hung them on the Christmas tree. Whatever guilt was creeping in slowly for not selecting the perfect gift vanished as soon as i saw the red hearts glistening in the candle light against the darkness of the room :-). My day was complete ! I knew i would crash on their sofa if i didn't leave soon. After many hugs and handshakes, i finally stepped out of the warmth of Mr Jensen's house. It was biting cold, almost -8 degrees C and clutching my fairy tale book i walked back home in the slushy snow. I saw light glowing in many houses and wondered which part of the danish Christmas was going on - dinner or singing or lighting candles or opening presents ??
I could have never imagined such a quiet celebration in my home in India any time of the year, nevertheless, the danish christmas celebration is second to none ! You have to experience it to know what i am talking about ! :-)
1. I didn't know what was the perfect gift to buy for a really sweet old danish couple who didn't want me to spend Christmas eve alone
And
2. I had no clue what to expect ... would there be a huge party- many people talking in Danish and me just looking at their faces and laughing from time to time to show that i am fitting in fine or would it be just the two of them and i would have to entertain them by talking about why we celebrate Diwali or perhaps Mr Jensen would be dressed as Santa Claus - now, that would be fun to watch !
Nevertheless, I decided to take the plunge and go ! I had big plans of baking some cookies - I had recently bought a cookie mould to encourage myself to improve my baking skills. Well, i must admit i have somehow learnt the art of procrastination in between working in the lab and writing papers much to my supervisor's annoyance, but that's another story :-). So, i never baked any cookies neither had i thought of the perfect gift nor had i bought it. The evening before, I hurried to the shopping mall which was, needless to say, uncomfortably crowded. I saw a box of six red hearts made of glass - decorative pieces for the Christmas tree and i thought ''perfect'' ! I was proud of myself at having found something so beautiful in such short notice. I was walking out of the shop and that's when i noticed the wreath with four red candles. I knew lighting the candles on the wreath before dinner is a Christmas tradition in Denmark and that would have been the perfect gift.. so much for my efforts on buying the hearts. Further away i saw Glogg, a warm spiced red wine and thought - ''oh no! this is the perfect gift...not the hearts, not the wreath but the Glogg''....I literally ran out before I could spot something else ! I made a mental promise to remind myself to wear blinders before i go shopping for a perfect gift.
I was already twenty minutes late. I rang the door bell half expecting a huge Santa Claus to welcome me, instead I saw Mr Jensen in an apron. His son and daughter who were about my age were also present and it was just the five of us for dinner. So, I didn't have to worry about staring at faces or entertaining the old couple all by myself....''okay ! so far so good....''
Traditional danish Christmas dinner was served soon and it was nothing less than a feast ! Unfortunately, i am big time veggie. I had several failed attempts at trying to explain to Mr Jensen that it was no biggie being a veggie in India and i am definitely not going to be malnutritioned by just eating vegetables. So, on Christmas eve the least i could do was to spare him the story again and just pretend to have a sick stomach which i hoped would explain why i am not eating anything but vegetables. It worked ! Thank god for small mercies !! :-). However, i looked at the dishes and couldn't stop wondering how it would be like to become a full time carnivore ! The main course included a large roasted duck (or may be goose -couldn't tell), roasted chicken, fish in white sauce and lamb meat. I was told the duck was stuffed with mashed apple. This was served with boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes, red cabbage and melon. There was also cranberry sauce. I stuffed myself with boiled potatoes and cabbage (now don't judge me, i had to prove i am not malnutritioned :-P). We talked a little bit about Mr Santa and the popular danish belief that he lives in Greenland with Mrs Claus and the elves who work in his factory which produces gifts for all the children of Denmark. Mr Jensen also told me that the Christmas seal that is placed on the post cards during the holiday season was first started by a Danish clerk in the postal department in the 1900s to raise funds for respiratory diseases that children often suffered from during those times. Denmark has a long tradition of housing samaritans or so it seems and i can vouch that Mr Jensen is one of them :-). I also came to know that Jensen's daughter, Line is a school teacher. Apparently, kids these days are very notrious but charming enough to get away with their atrocities and there is nothing much one can do about it - i always thought so too whenever i felt helpless around my manipulative little cousins ... So now it's offical and universal around the globe !
Soon the dessert was served. It was rice pudding with thick whipped cream, vanilla and diced almonds served with hot cherry sauce. Yummmm.... ! I was told that a full almond was hidden in the rice pudding and the person who gets it is the lucky finder and also gets a prize. However, the untold rule is that the lucky finder doesn't say it until everyone is tired of eating the pudding. So everyone ate and ate in the hope of finding the almond and Line turned out to be the lucky finder of the almond !
After dinner Mr Jensen showed me around the house and it was beautifully decorated with little elves and Santas everywhere. Then we all lit the candles placed on the Christmas tree and when the lights were switched off, it looked truly spectacular. If there is anything that i had seen so far which even came close to what the Christmas tree looked like, it was probably the Eiffel tower at night. Then all of us held hands and danced around the tree signing danish Christmas carols. We had little tea breaks to charge ourselves after every song. Everyone started opening the gifts while i munched on fruits, cookies and candies. I must admit that watching people open presents after presents is not all that fun especially when they are not for you. It was well past midnight and everyone had sw
itched over to Danish in their excitement and I couldn't help yawning. So i munched and munched while fighting to keep my eyes open. As if on cue, Mr Jensen thrust a nicely wrapped gift into my hands and asked me to open it. I had three guesses but i got it right in my first guess - it was a book ! Great ! Now, which one ? By now i was wide awake ! It was a perfect gift for someone who is not a Dane and something to take back home from Denmark. The complete Hans Christian Andersen Fairy tales !! Originally born in Odense in the 1800s, Hans Christian Andersen later moved to Copenhagen to start a career in acting but ended up becoming a writer. One can never outgrow reading Hans Christian Andersen's stories in a life time !! M
rs Jensen thanked me for the lovely red hearts and hung them on the Christmas tree. Whatever guilt was creeping in slowly for not selecting the perfect gift vanished as soon as i saw the red hearts glistening in the candle light against the darkness of the room :-). My day was complete ! I knew i would crash on their sofa if i didn't leave soon. After many hugs and handshakes, i finally stepped out of the warmth of Mr Jensen's house. It was biting cold, almost -8 degrees C and clutching my fairy tale book i walked back home in the slushy snow. I saw light glowing in many houses and wondered which part of the danish Christmas was going on - dinner or singing or lighting candles or opening presents ??I could have never imagined such a quiet celebration in my home in India any time of the year, nevertheless, the danish christmas celebration is second to none ! You have to experience it to know what i am talking about ! :-)
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