As much as I’ll miss Thanksgiving this year, a trip to Copenhagen has me convinced that missing Thanksgiving is the way to go.
In Denmark, there is no intermediate holiday between Halloween and Christmas. Here, Christmas season starts on November first. And there is nothing better than Christmas candles, carols, and even a special Danish Christmas beer.
In Copenhagen, the sun sets around 4:30 p.m. this time of the year! But the cold and darkness in Copenhagen is easily chased away by the homey, cozy light of the fireplaces in restaurants and many artisan coffee shops. Not to mention the beer blanket the locals wear in the beginning of early November. This is when breweries release the annual Christmas beer. Darker and slightly more alcoholic (at six percent alcohol content) than regular beer, the flavor and the packaging changes every year. A festive atmosphere and huge parties in all of Copenhagen’s bars and clubs mark its release. In turn, its release marks the beginning of Copenhagen’s Christmas season. Drunken carolers and costumed “Santas” can be found singing and dancing outside of every locale.
I left Copenhagen with the scent of Christmas cookies and candles in my nose. It’s been hard to adjust to being back in Madrid, where pinecone wreaths have not gone up yet in storefronts and where it will most likely not snow until after I leave. But it makes me look forward all the more to going back home. I brought back some Danish ornaments for my Christmas tree. Hopefully, some Danish Christmas spirit will follow me back too.
Article written by Constance Deng.
