In this episode of the How to Live in Denmark podcast, host Kay Xander Mellish explains that Denmark’s Christmas season stretches far beyond the traditional twelve days, lasting over two months from early November through January. He describes the arrival of seasonal items such as peppernuts (large brown gingerbread cookies) and the official kickoff on November 1st with Tuborg’s annual J‑Day, the release of a stronger, sweeter Christmas beer at 9:59 PM. Mellish shares vivid anecdotes about the festive atmosphere—people wearing beer‑themed hats, neckties, and even bikinis—and the chaotic aftermath for police and taxi drivers. He offers practical advice for newcomers: avoid planning parties with Danes during December because their social calendars are already full of work, family, and club events scheduled months in advance; instead, host a low‑key gathering in January when everyone is broke and more likely to accept a simple pizza‑and‑leftover‑beer invitation. The episode concludes with promotional plugs for the podcast’s website, a copy‑writing service (perfectenglish.dk), and Mellish’s How to Live in Denmark book available on Amazon.
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Hello and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kay Xander Mellish. The 12 Days of Christmas is an old French Christmas song. But those 12 days of Christmas have nothing on the Danes, who have more than 2 months of Christmas, and would probably have it last all the way to spring if they could get away with it. If you're here in Denmark right now, you probably saw the Christmas wrapping paper hit the shelves a couple of weeks ago. That, and the first of the gingerbread Christmas cookies. You'll notice that a lot of Danish shops put out little dishes of brown Christmas cookies that look like overgrown M&Ms. Peppernuts, they're called. You're invited to take one. They're free and they're very tasty. That said, you might not be thinking about all the other little fingers that have touched those cookies. I recommend buying your own peppernuts and enjoying them at home. Anyway, the Christmas products hitting the shelves is not the official start of the holiday season in Denmark. The official start is this week, November 1st, when Tuborg rolls out its annual Christmas beer. It's released at precisely 9:59 PM, and everybody hangs out in bars waiting for it, some specially dressed in blue Christmas beer hats, or Christmas beer neckties, or even Christmas beer bikinis. Christmas beer tastes a lot like regular beer, a little bit sweeter, and a lot stronger. This is why a man I once knew, who was a bit of a wolf, told me that Christmas Beer Day was the best day of the year to score with married women. The beer is very strong. I used to work at Carlsberg, which owns Tuborg, and I can tell you that the company has highly conflicted feelings about J-Day, which is what Christmas Beer Day is called in Danish. On the one hand, J-Day makes a hash of their corporate position promoting responsible drinking. On the other hand, But they do sell an incredible amount of beer on that day. So if you're a party person, J-Day is not to be missed. If you're a more quiet person, J-Day is a good day to be home with the curtains drawn and earplugs. If you're a Danish policeman, you'll be on duty that evening sorting out all the heartbreak and fights and dangerous adventures caused by the Christmas beer. If you're a Danish taxi driver, you'll be cleaning up your cab several times. So that's the start of Christmas in Denmark. There will be lots of parties and lots of drinking all the way through to January. And if you're new to Denmark, here's a tip: don't invite your friends to get together during the Christmas season. Don't plan a Christmas party, at least not one that includes Danes. Your friends are fully booked, particularly in December, with Christmas work events and Christmas family events and and Christmas club events that were planned in August. Throw a party in January when everybody's miserable and broke. Then everyone you know will show up, even if all you serve is takeout pizza and leftover Christmas beer. And that's the How to Live in Denmark podcast for this week. Go check out our website at howtoliveindenmark.com and leave a comment, or visit our Xander Mellish Facebook page. This podcast is sponsored by perfectenglish.dk. If you're looking for a native English copywriter in Copenhagen, this one, check us out at perfectenglish.dk. Music arranged by George Garvis. See you next week. Remember, the How to Live in Denmark book is available for download on amazon.com. You can read it on any phone or tablet. All you need is the Kindle app, and the Kindle app is free. The book's not free, but it's not very expensive either. If you read the book and enjoy it, please leave a review on your local version of amazon.com. It helps other people find the book and find the podcast.
