Danish Royal Family Christmas: 2003, 2004, 2006-2014, 2016-2023


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Frederik and the children, article also mentions Mary was there, attended the church service in Copenhagen. The kid's held Frederiks hand while arriving.
1 picture so far, more to come according to the article.

Christian og Isabella holdt far i hånden
 
Thank you Little Sunshine & Terri Terri :flowers:

Our Marie look smart.

The article says the church was completely filled. That's pretty normal on the day of Christmas Eve, but I wonder if the presence of the DRF didn't play in as well....

It was pretty cold yesterday!
But in most of the country things were fairly normal after a blizzard. But not on the Island of Bornholm. (Population around 40.000). The island is litterally closed down due to the amounts of snow that had fallen. hundreds had to celebrate Christmas Eve in a barracks and a sports centre. They couldn't get inland from the ferries.


This was Christmas Eve.............it sure looks very light outside, when was sunset in this part of Denmark. What a beautiful family
 
This was Christmas Eve.............it sure looks very light outside, when was sunset in this part of Denmark. What a beautiful family

The sun is up between 08.45 - 15.30 or so.
The light reflecting from the snow also play in.
 
Summary of article in Billed Bladet #52, 2010.
Glad familiejul i København - Happy family Christmas in Copenhagen.
Written by Frodi Holm Knudsen.

In the late afternoon of the day of Christmas Eve, Mary, Frederik and children, along with John Donaldson and Susan Moody went to Xhristmas service in Garnisonskirken, located close to Amalienborg.
Here the royal confessionarius, former bishop Erik Norman Svendsen recieved them.
Mary, dressed warm, wasn't physically troubled by being heavily pregnant. She was in fact in great mood and when asked about what would be on the menu at the Christmas dinner, she replied: "A bit of this and that". Presumably meaning that it would be a mix of DRF and Australian traditions.
The Handwerk family was also present.

BT wrote yesterday that one of their reporters had met John Donaldson in Copenhagen Monday. He was as usual not particularly informative in regards to Christmas present, but stated that he and Mary gave each other "love" for Christmas. http://www.bt.dk/royale/det-fik-mary-i-julegave-af-farmand

A note in Billed Bladet, informs us that Frederik and John Donaldson also attended a service in the forernoon in Holmens Kirke (the naval church).

Summary of article in Billed Bladet #52, 2010.
Marie var den perfekte vært - Marie was the perfect host.
Written by Ken Richter.

Who caught up with Joachim on the way to Christmas service on Christmas Day (the 25th). Here the photographer presented him with a bucket of oysters fresh from the Wadden Sea. That should delight Prince Henrik in particular, who's nuts about these oysters.

Joachim said about having the family for Christmas: "It's splendid. It was a lovely Christmas Eve".

Well as the press couldn't be present at Schackenborg, they could at least stand outside Møgeltønder Church, in the cold. It was very cold! The church was crammed to capacity with 500 present, not counting the DRF and our Marie's mother and stepfather Francoise and Christian Grassiot. - Bette Henrik stayed at home.

La Marie said in an interview to the paper Jydske Vestkysten: "That church means fantastic much to me. It's the nicest and most cosy church in existance. - I love Christmas ornaments and Christmas decorations".
And for Christmas she wished for:
- "My family being gathered here at Schackenborg and that I have my little boy on the arm".

The Regent Couple returned to Marseliborg in Aarhus on the 26th.
 
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Thank you Little Sunshine & Terri Terri :flowers:

Our Marie look smart.

The article says the church was completely filled. That's pretty normal on the day of Christmas Eve, but I wonder if the presence of the DRF didn't play in as well....

It was pretty cold yesterday!
But in most of the country things were fairly normal after a blizzard. But not on the Island of Bornholm. (Population around 40.000). The island is litterally closed down due to the amounts of snow that had fallen. hundreds had to celebrate Christmas Eve in a barracks and a sports centre. They couldn't get inland from the ferries.

The churches in Denmark are not the most popular place during the year. There is a problem with nearly empty churches.

But at the 24'th of december there are so at church that in moore than one incident I have experienced people fainting.
 
Muhler said:
A note in Billed Bladet, informs us that Frederik and John Donaldson also attended a service in the forernoon in Holmens Kirke (the naval church).
Wasn't it on Christmas Day the 25th? :)
 
Wasn't it on Christmas Day the 25th? :)

Probably. The only other sevice on that day, seems to have been a childrens service, and I somehow doubt Frederik would take his father-in-law to that.
 
Apparently CP Frederik went to church at the 24'th at "Garnisons kirken" and on the 25'th at "Holmens kirke".
 
Probably. The only other sevice on that day, seems to have been a childrens service, and I somehow doubt Frederik would take his father-in-law to that.
What do you mean with "childrens service"? :ermm: Do you mean a service planned for children? I don´t think that since it was the normal service in Garnisons Kirke that they attended :flowers:
Normally a service on Christmas Eve has 4 psalms, the text reading, a reading (prædiken) from the priest, perhaps a song or two from the choir. All that are over in about 45 minutes :flowers: So yes, you can call it a "Childrens service", but it isn´t :)
 
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Childrens services are services which are shorter than usual and which are built around the needs of the child, so only reading the story of Jesus birth, but no predigt :)
 
I agree with you, Sternchen, but that wasn´t the case on Christmas Eve in Garnisons Kirke :)
Even on Christmas Eve the priest has made a predigt (preach, which takes about 8 - 12 minutes, so the services on Christmas Eve are shorter than normal, but it´s not a special service planned for children :)
 
Summary of article in Billed Bladet #49, 2011.
Hele familien samles på Marselisborg - The whole family is gathering at Marselisborg.
Written by Annelise Weimann.

M&F and their children are expected at Marselisborg in Aarhus on the 23th December. Joachim and the fair Marie will also come. Nikolai and Felix will spend Christmas with their mother this year, so they will be abscent..

QMII and PH will go to Marselisborg about a week prior to the 24th in order to prepare things.
QMII explains: "I look forward every time we are going to Aarhus. When we celebrate Christmas with the family, we do have a big Christmas tree, which however is not standing in the middle of the floor, because in my family we've had a tradition about dancing around the Christmas tree. But we always sing Christmas songs. (A popular song, mainly for children) and a psalm".

The tree is a big red spruce, which is placed in the large sitting room. It's usually QMII herself who decorates the tree during the 24th. (1)
The Christmas decorations are homemade and if something is worn. (2), she'll just make something new.

Then there is the dining table in the big diningroom: "I always decorate the Christmas table myself and I make most of the Christmas decorations myself, I've done that since childhood. I try to set the table differently from year to year, I'm not good at repititions- But I often choose the blue theme and set with the blue flueted set, which was here when we came". (3)

The Christmas menu is the same every year.
Riceporridge with white beer. - There is an almond in the porridge. (4)
Then goose.
And for dessert plum pudding.
PH has managed to replace the traditional English Christmas cake with a French Buche de Noel. (Which perhaps our French members can tell us about?)

The DRF go to service in Aarhus Cathedral in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. (5) QMII: "It's really one of the loveliest churches in the country. It's very special and I'm very fond of it". (6)

The 25th and 26th are for relaxation. QMII will no doubt attend service several times. (7)
On the 27th the menfolks will go hunting at nearby Frijsenborg Manor.

---

(1) In our home it's brought in a couple of days before Christmas and decorated by mainly Mrs. Muhler and the children, while I put the star on top and rig the lights. - They claim I just put things randomly on the tree, so I usually end up directing the operations from an armchair...:p

(2) Perhaps chewed to pieces by children and/or dachshunds?

(3) When they took over in the late 60's. The blue flueted set is considered archetypical Danish. Two generations ago everyone had such a set for everyday use. Nowadays it's pricey! http://www.smagarde.nu/itempics/111/3860/202.jpg
- And no, we don't have it ourselves. We just have an archetypical rural Madame Blue cofeepot http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ziBELUGxsuc/Sar6YXCU_OE/AAAAAAAAE-4/1eCs9tgAHiE/MadamBla.jpg - which is also a very common set that has become very fahionable.

(4) Here it's soup.:chef:
Followed by the main course, which is roast pork and medister (a kind of sausages), with a fat sauce, red cabbage, glaced potatos, chips and what not.
For dessert it's ris a la mande, also with an almond. - The one who gets the almond win a prize. The trick is of course to tease the children (and elderly, they are just as bad!) by pretending you have the almond hidden in your mouth.

(5) Here most of the family attend one of the services in the village church, while I stay at home and keep an eye on the food and share a wee schnapps or two with another relative...:cheers:

(6) Aarhus Cathedral was build right after the Reformation in the 1530's. It's very large and very austere to look at from the outside, conforming to the Protestantism that was emerging at that time..

(7) Here the 25th is also relaxation time. More out of necessity. We've simply eaten too much - again! Also time to clear up after the guests, and the children can get aquinted with their presents.
On the 26th it's Christmas lunch! The big cold table with smorgasboard ad libitum and plenty of schnapps! (Yes, it's among the favorite hunting seasons for the police and their alcometers) This time with my family.
 
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http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:...KyIwEhRlNadizqDHy8iuAyb97AHOCoX6GqByeiWvMWDhQ


A Buche de Noel or Yule Log, is a rolled cake with a filling. Most Yule logs are chocolate since they are eventually decorated to look like logs. The fillings can range from ganache to buttercream to a fruit filling. They are abosolutely wonderful and I don't blame the Prince for bringing this delicious tradition into the palace. Nothing better with a hot cup of coffee late in the evening or maybe even for breakfast???
 
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regarding ris a la mande, and the almond , I grop up having that as the first starter at the bigining of everything, and it was a lot of fun! most of us we didn't eat the ris we just look for the almond!!!!!! but may be now a days is in the dessert time?
 
regarding ris a la mande, and the almond , I grop up having that as the first starter at the bigining of everything, and it was a lot of fun! most of us we didn't eat the ris we just look for the almond!!!!!! but may be now a days is in the dessert time?

That's typical of children. :lol:
 
Another nice surprise today is the release of this year's Christmas card - a photo in black and white
of all four kids. It's on the cover of this week's Billed-Bladet.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** BB magazine cover and content **
 
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Awww the kids are so sweet in this black and white picture! I think Isabella is get getting prettier and prettier by the year, she is so photogenic. Christian looks like a 'lil man, and well the twins? Too cute for words!
 
What a lovely Christmas card! The children are gorgeous.
 
Thank you for those pics Iceflower. The Christmas card is devine. Beautiful children!
 
What a lovely photo those babies cheeks are edible!
I love that Christian and Isabella just look and behave like regular kids. The M&F must be really proud of their family. They appear to be doing a fine job as parents :)
 
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Not a fan of the card, black & white is quite depressing and Josephine's face is cut off. Great to have all four kids on the card but there is nothing happy or cheerful about it.
 
Agree, b&w pictures are elegant but in this case should be cheerful with 4 kids on the card. Instead we have 'sad' card. I hope that cutting the head was BB's idea, not original version.
 
:previous:
Oh, it's isn't BB editing.

It's deliberate editing by the photographer IMO. A case of "fashionable spontaneous snapshot editing". I.e. an arranged photo made to look like it was as snapshot.
I think there is a good deal of photo-experimenting going on home at M&F.
In my opinion it ruined what could have been a really great photo.

According to Billed Bladet #51, 2011.
Fire søde søskende - Four sweet siblings.
Written by Anna Johannesen.

The photographer is credited as "private", but the reporter believe it's Mary and that this pic was taken at Gråsten this summer.
https://picasaweb.google.com/100865900034584557354/RoyaleJulekort02#5688537833526959490

The Regent Couple's Christmas card is a photo of both of them with icebergs in the background, from their visit to Greenland. They used a pic by the BB photographer Hanne Juul.
https://picasaweb.google.com/100865900034584557354/RoyaleJulekort02#5688537815810725810

The Berleburg Christmas card is the official Berleburg branch family photo from the wedding between Nathalie and her Alexander. - Even down to the date of the wedding...:p
https://picasaweb.google.com/100865900034584557354/RoyaleJulekort02#5688537804680479058

The Greek royals, or rather King Konstantin and Queen Anne-Marie are dipicted at the spit of a sailing ship, with all their grandchildren, all uniformely dressed in red and white.
https://picasaweb.google.com/100865900034584557354/RoyaleJulekort02#5688537827272360258

- Personal review from me.
M&F: A bit too experimental. A pity.
The Regent Couple: Very good! But then it's a professional photographer.
Berleburg: Ah, come on! At least try make an effort. There really is no need to reuse the thank-you cards from the wedding.
The Greeks: Very good. (A bit of the von Trapp Family Singers touring Greece about it :p What is Edelweiss in Greek by the way? - Sorry, couldn't resist).
 
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Very nice picture! I'm seeing less of Mary in Christian. He's starting to look more like his Dad. They all look adorable!
 
Muhler, thank you for those Christmas card photos.

Yes, the card featuring Mary and Frederik's children is too experimental.
I'd like to see the photo not as cropped. It's still very cute.
I love all the other cards.

Do you think that there is anything worrying in the fact that the Berleburgs have chosen to use the same photo, without Jefferson?
 
Not a fan of the card, black & white is quite depressing and Josephine's face is cut off. Great to have all four kids on the card but there is nothing happy or cheerful about it.

A very sad card with Josephine's face cut off................
 
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