Photograph: Unsplash
Text: Kelly Kristensen
It is December in Denmark, and Christmas is in the air. Everywhere you go, you see city streets filled with Christmas trees and storefronts decorated with smiling nisse. If it is one thing that Denmark tends to do quite well, that is decorating for Christmas.
The art of Christmas decorating starts at a very young age in Denmark. Children as young as six start learning the basics of creating Christmas décor during Juleklippedag, when they spend an entire day at school making paper crafts to decorate their classroom. As Danish children become adults, their creativity levels increase, and they are introduced to new ways of creating Christmas decorations, which includes the use of more natural items. Spanning from beautiful centrepieces to festive wall hangings, a traditional, Danish Christmas decoration is a must-have piece for any home hoping to be filled with the hygge that only a Danish Christmas can offer.
Types of natural, Danish Jul décor
Some Danes get very creative with their juledekorationer and can make something out of most anything that can be found on the floor of their nearby forest. From moss to tree trunks and pinecones to entire tree branches, you will find a vast array of natural items in any natural, Danish Jul décor.
Juledekoration
For the perfect Christmas meal, no table is complete without the festive centrepiece plainly called the juledekoration. This simple yet elegant holiday display is made of a flowerpot, large candle, and many natural décor elements such as leaves, pinecones, spruce twigs, and wintergreen boxwood branches. With a jolly bow made of ribbon, the juledekoration offers a subtle elegance to any room. Switch out an average candle for a Christmas candle and enjoy the decorations every day of December while you watch the candle burn down the numbers to Christmas Eve on the 24th.
Julekrans
Adorning the front doors of many Danish homes, the julekrans inspires homeowners and visitors to get into the holiday spirit every time they enter and exit the house. This wreath made from wrapping moss or spruce twigs around a circular frame and adding acorns, brown leaves or red Holly berries will remind anyone of the magic of the season. Other items found in Denmark’s forests can add a special uniqueness to the wreath as well.
Adventskrans
One of the most exquisite of all the natural, Danish Jul décor is the adventskrans. This is a larger wreath that can be either placed flat on a table or extended from the ceiling. The distinctiveness of this type of wreath is that it has four, thick candles sitting evenly spaced apart from each other on the wreath. These are the four candles that will be lit one at a time during the four Sundays of Advent leading up to Christmas. Churchgoers will often see these lovely holiday items hanging by a long ribbon from the ceiling of the church near the pulpit. With the angelic glow of the candles floating in the air, the adventskrans brings hygge to a new level to those wanting to get their homes ready for an authentic Danish Jul.
Where to find natural, Danish Jul décor
Beginning in November, you can find juledekorationer at your local floral shop, grocery stores and at any Christmas event or market. However, if you want to give back to the community at the same time, you can buy your Christmas decorations from a scout or church group, which may be selling wreaths and centrepieces handmade by volunteers from their organisations to raise funds for their members.
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