December 26, 2003

Well, on Christmas Eve, which is the 23rd mind you, we went to buy our Christmas tree. We drove to a Christmas tree farm and bought a tree. Then we left it outside all night on the car. My host grandparents drove in from Copenhagen and they were dead tired. So we ordered pizza and went to bed.

My host parents came storming in my room at 9:00 on Christmas morning (the 24) speaking Danish, asking where some cake pans were (since I had taken them all during a baking frenzy.) I had to try to wake up enough to understand what they were saying. Finally we got that whole ordeal settled and I was ready to go back to sleep, but then I noticed that out my window there was no snow. I said to myself “how can you be so far north and not have snow on Christmas?” So right away it was a disappointment. Then my friend called to see how it was and she explained that they never have snow on Christmas. So I felt a little better.

Since I could no longer sleep, I went upstairs just in time for breakfast. We had the usual - bread and butter, bread and Nutella, and orange juice. I thought “oh how much more special can it get?” But then they told me we were putting the tree up. I got to decorate it and light the candles, so that was pretty exciting. Then we all sat around and watched TV.

Later, my grandmother made everyone sing songs and, since the only Danish songs I know are children's songs, I got to sing one of them while she did the hand movements. That was very interesting. All night she kept asking me to sing it again and again because it was the only one she could get in to and do stuff with.

Then we ate dinner, which consisted of duck, boiled potatoes, brown potatoes, and gravy. Next we had rice pudding with chunks of almonds in it and who ever found the whole almond got a present. My host sister won but she gave me the present. It was chocolate, so I shared with everyone. After that we danced around the Christmas tree while my youngest host sister played the piano. Then we ran through the house (they said you do this because you eat so much so you have to get exercise.) Then we opened the presents and finally we went to bed.

The next morning we got up like usual for breakfast and had the usual food. Then later that day we had the traditional Christmas lunch for dinner which was lots of herring and the flat fish with the weird eyes on its head (I don't remember what is called) with brown bread. So that was not a very delicious dinner and I wanted to sneak out with my friends, who had to eat the same stuff. But there were no restaurants open, not even McDonalds. So that was not a very good day.

And that was my Christmas here in Denmark.

Veronica